How full are KY hospitals, ICUs? When should I visit the ER? And other omicron questions.

With the highly infectious omicron variant sweeping Kentucky, Lexington area hospital officials are warning many facilities are at or nearing capacity and individuals should seek testing elsewhere.

Those experiencing mild symptoms from COVID or looking to get tested should avoid emergency rooms and costly ER bills, officials from Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Baptist Health Lexington and UK HealthCare said during a Tuesday press conference.

“Our emergency departments and our hospitals are overwhelmed, and if you show up for routine testing you’ll be delaying care of more critical patients,” Dr. Mark Spanier of Baptist Health said.

Check out COVID-related hospital usage in KY

With the graphic below, you can explore COVID-related hospitalizations and ICU usage across Kentucky by date through Jan. 10.

In addition, drill down by hospital with the interactive map below to see capacity at facilities near you. Keep in mind, the numbers may not reflect real-time occupancy as patients come and go.

When should I seek emergency treatment?

While officials reported high COVID positivity rates among emergency intakes, they also noted other illnesses still abound and those in need should not delay seeking treatment.

“We don’t want you staying home with a stroke, we don’t want you staying home with a heart attack,” said Dr. Roger Humphries, chairperson of the UK Department of Emergency Medicine.

Those who are COVID positive (or suspect they are COVID positive) and are experiencing the following symptoms are encouraged to visit an emergency department:

• Those whose oxygen level drops below 90%.
• Those experiencing significant chest pain.
• Those experiencing moderate to severe shortness of breath.

What about those who don’t need emergency care?

Individuals with milder symptoms, like aches, pains, stuffy nose, cough and chills, should isolate at home and seek medical attention, if needed, from urgent care or a primary care physician.

In the Lexington area, testing is available daily through Wild Health by appointment. Pharmacies like Kroger, CVS and Walgreens may also offering testing, as well as urgent care facilities and other providers.

Health officials also reiterated the need for individuals to wear a mask in public, limit time in crowds and get vaccinated, including seeking a booster shot.

“Most of the symptoms are mild, fortunately, in most patients. Patients that are vaccinated do better than patients that are not vaccinated, “ Humphries said. “I have not seen very many critically ill vaccinated patients, and that’s reflected in our ICUs as well, here in the hospital. So do what you can to protect yourself.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 3:10 PM.