Urgent Care becomes overwhelmed with COVID testing - WTVY, Dothan

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DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Urgent cares are becoming swamped with testing patients for COVID with lines forming as they open their doors. Dr. Beth Weaver said over the last three weeks COVID cases have “exploded.”

On Wednesday the Dothan Pavilion Clinic saw about 120 patients, the majority of them seeking to be tested.

The clinic faces an increase in positive cases compared to last year. In 2020 the clinic saw about 40 percent in positive cases, now they are seeing about 50 percent in positive cases from patients testing each day. Dr. Weaver said they may have been testing a few more absolute numbers in 2020, but the increase is still there.

There is not trending pattern in symptoms, Dr. Weaver said there has been a variety.

“Maybe a low grade temp, some people have a higher fever, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and some respiratory symptoms,” Dr. Weaver said.

Like many health care officials and providers, Dr. Weaver said the Delta variant is behind this recent surge. Over the last seven days Alabama has added nearly 18,000 positive cases.

Dr. Weaver reflects on when the message of “flatten the curve” was put at the forefront. She said now that conversation seems to not exist.

“The goal was not to have everybody get sick at the same time so that you overwhelm the medical resources in the community, people are not talking about that and now we are paying the price for it,” Dr. Weaver said.

Dr. Weaver said in the beginning of the pandemic, people viewed the virus differently and seemed to have taken it more seriously, but now that is not the case.

“We’ve had people say, ‘Well I don’t feel that bad, I’m positive but I’m going to go ahead and go anyway,’” Dr. Weaver said. “They’re much more reluctant to socially distance themselves or tow wear masks.”

And the community response is different, according to Dr. Weaver.

“A year and a half ago it was ‘Thank you for seeing us,’ and now it’s ‘Why are we waiting so long,” Dr. Weaver said.

However during this surge, there is a vaccine available.

“A year and a half ago we had no other resource other than to find our way through treating patients who had COVID,” Dr. Weaver said. “Now we have a vaccine. I know there are all kinds of opinions about vaccines, what we do know is that you might get COVID if you have had the vaccine, but the numbers tell us you are not going to be one of the ones who is going to die or be on the ventilator, most likely.”

But, vaccine hesitancy remains and Dr. Weaver said it shows.

“Most of the people in the ICU’s and on the ventilators have not been vaccinated, it gives our bodies a little head start in fighting off the illness if we get it, it’s important” Dr. Weaver said.

She urges people to think ahead.

“People want their children’s senior years to be good, they want the homecoming, they want proms, they want to be able to have their weddings, they want Christmas time to have family get togethers, Thanksgiving, they’re going to have to start paying attention to that now and start taking this seriously,” Dr. Weaver said.

When it comes testing supplies, Dr. Weaver said they are able to test what they need to, but are having to limit their testing more than they were last year, due to the supplies, staffing and simply the number of hours in a day to see these patients.

AllSouth is working to keep everyone safe. “Sick” patients are to be seen only at the Dothan pavilion clinic, while the East side clinic is caring for other medical needs.

Copyright 2021 WTVY. All rights reserved.

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