BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Brazos County's Flu and COVID numbers are currently peaking, and doctors are worried about the strain the uptick in cases will place on local emergency rooms and hospitals.
Dr. William Rayburn from Baylor & Scott White Medical Center explained why the cases of these respiratory viruses have created a surge in the community, saying "During the pandemic we literally spread people out, we closed schools and restaurants and bars and we shut down and it was resulted in now a number of people not being exposed to COVID or the flu."
There are many different inexpensive options for residents that don't include rushing to an emergency room.
"If they feel they truly have an emergency and need to go to urgent care by all means but I think it's important to remember that we're in the midst of a surge of respiratory viruses that are typically going to run their course so there are options to get diagnosed outside of the traditional urgent care," said Rayburn.
Another option for residents is to download the Baylor Scott & White app to receive a virtual consultation and professional opinion about their symptoms.