Memorial Health seeing increase in COVID positive patients

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve seen COVID case numbers typically increase after holidays.

As we’re now a week removed from the Father’s Day, Juneteenth double holiday, and a week away from July 4th, leaders at Memorial Health in Savannah say they are seeing an uptick in COVID-related hospitalizations.

Memorial Health says they have seen an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past several weeks.

Dr. Tim Connelly says hospitalizations aren’t the only thing increasing though, as the severity of symptoms is also getting worse. When we spoke with him there were 25 patients positive for COVID, 20 of which are still in isolation with five in the ICU.

“There are some new strains of omicron that have come out now that have a higher severity of illness requiring people to go to the ICU now. We’re back to on occasion having to provide high-flow oxygen. Fortunately, we’re haven’t seen any significant increase in deaths from COVID-19 - which is very good - however, the increasing numbers and the increasing severity of illness do have us again taking the disease more seriously,” said Dr. Connelly, Internal Medicine at Memorial Health.

He says most of the people coming in right now have not received their booster, so that is something he greatly recommends, especially in the elderly.

He says the hospital isn’t necessarily seeing a rise in hospitalizations, but is seeing an increase in COVID positive patients. A message he wants to get out right now is if you get COVID and are feeling sick, seek out treatment. Dr. Connelly says medical advancements have made COVID treatable and especially as people gather for the Fourth, calling your doctor remains the best course of action if you test positive.

“Unfortunately COVID is quickly becoming part of the new norm, I agree with that. We don’t want to panic, we don’t want to overreact to it, but at the same time we don’t want to get so tired of the precautions that we underreact to it either. It still is a very serious disease, people still do die from COVID-19.”