This is what we’re seeing this respiratory virus season. Let me explain why this matters.
Four viruses circulating at the same time—flu, RSV, COVID-19, and the common cold. ERs are stretched thin, staff are exhausted, and patients are waiting longer than ever.
Here’s the reality: we’re dealing with a perfect storm of overlapping respiratory illnesses, each virus with the potential to cause serious complications. And it’s hitting hospitals, especially small ones, hard.
Imagine a rural ER with 12 beds. Maybe one doctor. Limited resources. They’re designed to see 30–40 patients a day. Now, picture that same ER triaging 80–100 patients in 24 hours. That’s what’s happening right now due to the current virus season.
Many of these patients are critically ill—infants struggling to breathe because of RSV, elderly patients with complications from influenza, and young adults with high fevers and respiratory distress from COVID-19. These are not mild cases. These are the patients who need oxygen, breathing treatments, or even transfer to larger facilities for ICU care.
But here’s the problem: the ICU beds at larger hospitals? They’re already full. Ambulances are stuck waiting for hours because there’s nowhere to take the patient. And the staff—already running on fumes—are left juggling who to treat first and how to provide care with what little they have.
Why Is This Happening?
1. Overlapping Epidemics:
RSV, flu, and COVID-19 aren’t just co-circulating—they’re competing for space in every ER. Patients who might have managed their symptoms at home last year are now sicker, waiting longer to seek care, and showing up in droves due to various virus infections.
2. Lack of Primary Care:
Many patients are in the ER simply because they have no other option. They couldn’t get a same-day appointment. Or they don’t have insurance. Or they don’t have a primary care provider at all. This pushes already-overwhelmed ERs to their breaking point.
3. Staffing Shortages:
Healthcare workers are leaving the profession in record numbers. Those who remain are doing the work of two, sometimes three, people, especially during a virus season. And every shift chips away at their ability to keep going.
What Can You Do?
If you’re don’t have patience to wait for an ER visit this season, here’s what I ask of you:
- Be proactive. Get vaccinated. Wash your hands. Avoid unnecessary exposures.
- If you are sick, call your primary care doctor first
- If you don’t have one, call me.
- Know when to go to ER
- Difficulty breathing,
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
- Persistent chest pain or pressure.
- Confusion or inability to stay awake.
- Bluish discoloration of lips, face, or extremities.
- Signs of severe dehydration (e.g., no urine output, dry mucous membranes).
This respiratory virus season is hard. And it’s far from over. Let’s do what we can to help those holding the line.
Learn more about current respiratory illness season from CDC
