Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Flu cases are surging both nationally and locally, with New York state recently reporting a record number of cases in a single week. Local hospitals and urgent care centers are experiencing a significant influx of flu patients.
Parker Remelt, lead physician assistant at Rochester Regional Health’s urgent care facilities, said there has been a startling number of recent influenza cases in Monroe County.
“I think we’ve seen just about all the Rochester with flu,” Remelt said. “I don’t know if there’s anyone left who hasn’t had it.”
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Remelt noted flu cases will likely continue to increase, especially after recent holiday gatherings.
“Definitely the last couple weeks. they’ve been ramping up through December and then also through obviously now into January,” Remelt said. “They’ve been steadily increasing.”
According to ROC Health Data, Monroe County reported more than 1,800 flu cases for the week ending Dec. 27. Although that number was slightly lower than the previous week, flu hospitalizations are on the rise.
“Our urgent cares are extremely busy. The emergency departments are also extremely busy,” Remelt explained. “We have long wait times, but I’ll say that our wait times are shorter than the emergency department. We’re able to get people in and out faster a lot of times, and we’re able to get them the answers that they need.”
Remelt advises patients with milder symptoms to visit urgent care first and utilize its rapid testing capabilities.
“In situations where the patient is having significant difficulty breathing, if they’re having chest pain or if they’re really, really ill, I would recommend in that case skipping us and going directly to the emergency department,” Remelt said.
The University of Rochester Medical Center reported flu hospitalizations at Strong Memorial Hospital decreased this week, while COVID-19 cases increased.
“We are seeing some COVID,” Remelt said. “We’re definitely seeing an increase in that the last couple of months, but the majority of the cases that we’re seeing at this point are influenza.”
Remelt encourages everyone to get the flu shot if they haven’t yet.
“It’s a great way to help make sure that if you do get the flu, you get a much more mild variant in comparison with someone who didn’t get a vaccine,” Remelt added. “It’s also a good way to help prevent the illness in total.”
CLICK HERE to view the wait times for Rochester Regional Health’s urgent care facilities.