Lincoln hospitals are seeing more patients amid a spike in respiratory illnesses, and at least one is bringing back masks for certain staff members.

According to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, the county recorded 342 COVID-19 cases the week before Christmas, the highest weekly number of cases since the same week in 2022. The Health Department also reported 2023 highs for weekly positive influenza and respiratory syncytial virus during the same week.

Levels of COVID-19 in wastewater, which health experts say is a better gauge of virus levels in the community, also surged the week before Christmas. Health Department sampling showed an average of 1.5 million virus particles per liter of wastewater, up from about 910,000 the previous week. That's the highest weekly measurement in nearly two years.

Case numbers for all three illnesses dropped last week, but experts say that's likely more due to people being unable to access health care on certain days during the holiday break than an actual decline in cases.

"Respiratory illness is on the rise in the community and that's concerning," said Health Director Pat Lopez.

The surge in virus cases has led to increased activity at Lincoln's two hospital systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 39 hospital admissions in Lincoln for COVID-19 the week ending Dec. 23, a 15% increase from the previous week.

CHI Health Saint Elizabeth in Lincoln has seen an uptick in visits to its emergency department by people with flu-like symptoms over the past six to eight weeks, said CHI Health spokesperson Taylor Miller.

"Our inpatient admissions went up after Thanksgiving and have remained steady, but we expect that admissions may increase again following Christmas and New Year's," said Miller, who noted the hospital saw a large increase in people testing positive for respiratory illnesses this past weekend.

Bryan Health also has seen increasing numbers of inpatients with respiratory illnesses.

Spokesperson Edgar Bumanis said Bryan had 34 COVID-19 patients for the week that ended on Saturday, up from 31 the week before. The hospital system also had three hospitalized flu patients and five with RSV.

Because of the prevalence of the flu, Bryan is now requiring staff members who have not gotten a flu shot to wear a mask at work, Bumanis said. He also said certain departments are instituting mask policies when levels of respiratory illnesses among patients reach a "problematic level."

"For example, currently pediatrics and our Independence Center have staff wearing masks, as well as staff working with immunocompromised patients," he said earlier this week.

Respiratory viruses aren't just an issue in Lincoln. Data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services shows a rise in COVID-19, flu and RSV cases right up until Christmas, although the increase was less pronounced than it was locally.

COVID and RSV cases declined last week, but the number of flu cases continued to increase.

Compared with the same time last year, levels of COVID-19 cases are slightly lower statewide and flu case numbers are about the same, but RSV cases are significantly higher.

Lopez said she expects that the current spike in illnesses will last at least a few more weeks, especially with the holidays having just ended and local children set to return to school on Monday.

She said one thing that can help mitigate illness spread is for people to get COVID-19 and flu vaccinations if they haven't already and for those eligible for RSV vaccinations people 60 and over and women who are 32-36 weeks pregnant to get them as well.

Also, Lopez offered some commonsense advice: "Stay home if you are sick."

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Staff use personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 unit at Bryan Health.

Bryan has made counseling services available to its employees who work in the units hit hardest by the pandemic and has offered to rotate staff who need a week respite on another floor."That gives them just enough of a break to come back and say 'I can do this for another four weeks,'" said Candy Locke, the nurse manager.

The people who work in the COVID-19 ICU that currently takes up a large part of the sixth floor at Bryan East Campus say they are worn out."When the nurses are having nightmares at night and they're telling you about it, it's rough," said Leah Harrington, an assistant nurse manager.

A staff member in personal protective equipment tends to a patient in the COVID-19 unit at Bryan Health. COURTESY PHOTO

For months, doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists have worked to help COVID-19 patients on 6N, the ICU unit at Bryan East Campus. In many cases, patients who are breathing on their own see their conditions quickly worsen."It's hard to go home and not think about that, to just kind of de-plug from work, because these patients are so scared, and we're trying everything," nurse Kelsey Hoppe said.

Staff talk outside a patient's room on 6N, the ICU unit for COVID-19 patients at Bryan East Campus last September.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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COVID, other respiratory illnesses surging in Lincoln - Lincoln Journal Star