What’s Going Around: Lower flu numbers in Greene County

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - It’s been a busy flu season with cases peaking much earlier but after long wait times and bed shortages, relief is in sight.

“The numbers have dipped quite a bit, it’s really a big mix,” said Dr. Jamie Jones, the Medical Director for Coxhealth Urgent Cares. “There’s a lot of probable explanations for the decrease in the viruses. They spread like a wildfire in the woods, once the underbrush is burned, it isn’t going to burn again and as it infects individuals and they clear the virus, they’re left with a little bit of developmental immunity, which provides some protection at least temporarily.”

Dr. Jones also said it’s helping wait times in their emergency rooms and urgent cares too.

“It helps tremendously when the actual numbers of ill people decrease,” said Dr. Jones. “Right now, our wait times are more than probably 50% reduced from what they were even just two weeks ago. I think all healthcare access points in the entire area dealt with the bottleneck. It was just too many cases and too many individuals to work through it in a short amount of time.”

Dr. Jones also said, if symptoms aren’t emergent like chest pain, shortness of breath or stomach aches, there are other ways to get the medical attention you need without going to the E.R.

“We always are going to direct people back to their primary care office, they are the access points, they know their patients,” said Dr. Jones. “You can sign up for a Save My Spot, and you begin your wait time at home or doing other things and when you when you show up there, you’re able to be fast tracked into a room because, technically, you’ve already waited for that time.”

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