LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s a trend emergency rooms across the country are seeing: a high volume of patients. Centra hospitals and urgent care facilities throughout central Virginia are no exception.
Officials at Centra are attributing the increase in patients to a post-holiday surge in illnesses, like COVID, RSV, and the flu. They said more patients means longer than normal wait times for some people with less serious illnesses or injuries.
To help deal with the demand, physicians are triaging patients before they’re even admitted.
“We actually have sometimes two physicians in triage that are seeing patients before you ever get to the back. We can swab you for COVID, flu and RSV or provide a prescription or advice before you ever get a room in the back,” said Centra’s Vice President of Emergency Services, James Bryant.
Bryant said the best way to avoid these long wait times is to be proactive and stay healthy.
He recommended washing your hands, getting plenty of rest, and avoiding touching your face.