Louisville-area hospitals seeing increased demand as respiratory illnesses remain on the rise

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One week after the Thanksgiving holiday, health experts are urging precautions after concerns of a growing "Triple-demic"

According to officials with Baptist Health Floyd, the emergency room hit a weekly high Monday of 190 patients with various illnesses.

"We are seeing unprecedented amounts of people," said Dr. Karan Shah with Baptist Health Louisville

Norton Healthcare said it's seeing an increased demand for health care services, and it goes beyond COVID-19 and the flu.

"The challenge for providers is that all three of them are active in the community," said Steven T. Hester, M.D., senior vice president and chief clinical and strategy officer at Norton Healthcare.

RSV cases peaked around Nov. 1 and are now starting to trend downward. But respiratory illnesses are still something to keep an eye out for.

Norton officials said Thursday that over the past five to seven years, they are seeing about four times as many positive flu tests than in previous years. Emergency departments are also seeing high numbers of patients.

UofL Health's system also experienced a massive wave of respiratory cases. From Nov. 24-30, there were 208 COVID-19 cases, 924 flu cases and 54 RSV cases.

"Fewer people are wearing mask," said Dr. Mark Burns with UofL Health. "People are congregating more together. I believe this Thanksgiving was probably one of the first Thanksgivings for a lot of families where they probably didn't even test before they went to their destination."

Norton now wants to help more people understand what kind of care to seek for different ailments.

"Clearly, if you have chest pain, extreme shortness of breath or feel like you're going to pass out, those are all reasons to probably proceed to an emergency department for an evaluation," Hester said.

For less serious matters, Norton offers online appointments through Norton eCare. For more information, click here. You can also visit an immediate care center or your primary care doctor.