LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Since this day in 2020, a lot has changed in the fight against COVID-19.

Dr. Jason Smith with UofL Health was the first Kentuckian to be vaccinated against the virus Dec. 14, 2020.

"It's been strange, and my kids still talk about," Smith said Wednesday. "We always say B.C. and A.C. — before COVID and after COVID — and it's defined their lives in ways I'll probably never realize."

The vial from his dose — now a keepsake in his office — serves as a reminder of how far medicine has come.

Dr. Jason Smith talks about receiving first COVID-19 vaccine

Dr. Jason Smith with UofL Health was the first Kentuckian to be vaccinated against the virus Dec. 14, 2020.

"We are probably ahead of where I thought we'd be at this time," Smith said. "I really thought we wouldn't begin to see a vaccine until maybe two+ years into the pandemic."

Smith says doctors have gotten better at treating the virus and have more tools than compared to when the illness first plagued our communities.

While COVID-19 isn't as rampant as it once was, the virus is still found in area hospitals. UofL Health facilities reported 35 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday. Seven of those patients are in the Intensive Care Unit, and three are on a ventilator.

Within the three Baptist Health facilities in Kentuckiana, there are 37 inpatient COVID-19 cases, none of which are in the ICU.

Norton Healthcare says 59 COVID-19 patients are in its care system wide.

While Louisville is in the green zone for COVID-19 community spread, doctors say those maps may not be completely accurate.

"They're not quite as telling as they would've been early on in this pandemic," Smith said. "We have tests at home, so multiple people are getting tests that don't require that you report them into doctor's offices or health care programs."

Dr. Jason Smith displays vial of Pfizer vaccine

Dr. Jason Smith says he has kept the vial that once contained the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on display in his office. 

Over the past two years, the times hospitals have been hit the hardest were in winter months. So Smith said another rise in cases is likely just around the corner.

"I'm sure we'll see an increase in community spread over the next few months, and that's related to people traveling for the holiday and being in groups at holiday parties and around family," he said.

The expected rise in COVID-19 cases comes as hospitals around Kentuckiana are seeing a surge in RSV and flu cases. 

Smith says the 'Tripledemic' with COVID-19, RSV and flu is something that will be common and that healthcare professionals will need to navigate in the years to come.

"The whole world around COVID has changed and I think we're just going to have to learn to live with it. It's here to stay with us," said Smith. 

Doctors continue to urge people to stay up-to-date on flu and COVID-19 boosters to help limit community spread. 

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