LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Waiting rooms in hospitals across Central Arkansas are full— and doctors expect them to stay that way for a while.
Doctors have said a lot of those cases are flu-related. Meanwhile, the state has been seeing what the Department of Health has referred to as "very high" activity.
However, that's just a piece of the problem.
No one wants to wait in the emergency room but with so many sick people UAMS said it could take up to six hours for less critical patients to get a room.
Dr. Wes Watkins who works at the UAMS emergency room explained how they have been sending physicians to work directly in the waiting room, or seeing patients in the hallway to try and catch up.
Dr. Watkins has worked in the ER for eight years and explained how recently, it's the busiest he's ever seen it.
Some of the demand has come from a late-season spike in flu cases and Watkins said he expects that it will continue climbing.
"It doesn't feel like flu season. But you look at the data. And this is we're in is right in the heart of our worst part of the season," he said. "I expect that it's going to peak similar to what it peaked last year, which is significantly higher than it is now."
Dr. Watkins said how typically he believes the flu patients he sees in the ER, aren't vaccinated. He advised that it's not too late to get your shot
"One thing you can do to protect yourself is be vaccinated against all these respiratory viruses, especially if you have underlying lung disease or underlying heart disease," he described.
Though it's not just the flu— Watkins said they've been seeing more patients overall.
"We've had higher acuity patients, both in the hospital and in the ER. Not only do we see more patients, but they're sicker," he added.
Doctors have been continually working to accommodate the full waiting rooms
"We've been trying to be flexible and creative with how we care for patients because we want to take care of this community. It frustrates us to have them sitting in the waiting room for six hours," he said.
Watkins wanted to emphasize to the public that if you're having an emergency, you won't be ignored.
"If you're suffering from an emergency or you think you're suffering from an emergency, this is the place to come. We're going to make an evaluation and determine whether you have an emergent condition and treat you appropriately," he explained.
Watkins also said that while they have still been seeing some COVID cases it appears to have slowed down, and current strains seem less dangerous.