12-02-2025
Tyler emergency room sees influx of flu patients, pharmacies report medicine shortage
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – East Texas doctors are reporting high flu cases and some pharmacies are running short on medicine.
East Texas doctors said they are seeing many flu patients coming through their doors especially in the weeks after the holidays. Doctor Emmanuel Lonsdorfer at Hospitality Health ER in Tyler said they treated a high number of flu patients in January and this month is on track to be just as busy.
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The CDC says the country is experiencing its highest number of flu cases compared to the last 15 years and that in the first week of February, nearly a third of flu tests came back positive nationwide. Lonsdorfer said in January, they attended to about 180 patients per day and in February, they are seeing about 160 people a day.
He says the majority of flu cases test positive for Type A and for every twenty of those, they are seeing one Type B cases. Lonsdorfer said Type A symptoms are more severe.
'We still see a lot of covid symptoms, but from my own observation, I think the patients that have Covid are less symptomatic than the Influenza A,' Lonsdorfer said.
The high number of cases nationwide is leading to a flu medication shortage here in East Texas. Drug Emporium in Tyler was out of stock for a few days last week.
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'Our supplier actually ran out,' Pharmacy manager at Drug Emporium David Davis said. 'We ran out and then they ran out. so, when you can't get anything from your supplier, you can't resupply your stock so you're kind of stuck.'
Even with medication back on the shelves now, he said the number of people coming to the pharmacy hasn't dipped.
'Right now, it's at its peak or it has been in the past couple of weeks, from what we've seen so far this season,' Davis said.
Although we have high flu cases locally and nationally, there's no guarantee they will drop any time soon, so Lonsdorfer recommends taking preventions.
'Eat your fruits and vegetables, get adequate amount of sleep, stay hydrated,' Lonsdorfer said. 'So, all of those preventative things to stay healthy yourself.'
He also recommends washing your hands consistently and staying home if you feel sick to stop the spread and to keep you and your family safe this flu season.
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