The unprecedented snow that blew through Louisiana put a dent in many people’s plans. More importantly, many people with medical appointments had to deal with cancellations due to the weather. Are doctors expecting to see a large influx of sick people after the freeze ends and the roadways return to normal? Dr. Corey Hebert says it may take some time before you see the true backups in waiting rooms begin to take place. “People who had real emergencies probably ended up going to the emergency room even during the freeze event. But you’ll probably see an uptick in visits to the doctors’ offices and even urgent care in the next couple of days,” Hebert explains.
While we may not see an immediate jamming up of access to medical care, Dr. Hebert warns that waiting rooms are very likely to fill up, albeit a bit more delayed than some might expect. “In about ten days to two weeks or so, you’re going to see a huge increase in the amount of upper respiratory tract infections,” emphasizes Hebert. “That includes influenza, RSV, norovirus and even COVID. This is because people have been indoors in very close quarters for multiple days. On top of that, they’re stressed out and that can negatively impact the immune system,” Dr. Hebert notes.
Many may point to the cold weather as the reason behind the wave of patients hitting doctor’s offices and urgent care centers. However, Dr. Hebert points out that the cold weather itself is not the culprit, so much as the actual act of hunkering down to get away from it. “It is the fact that when we’re in cold weather, people stay inside more in closer quarters. That’s the real engine that drives this increase in infections during the winter months,” adds Hebert.