>> Eric: WE START TONIGHT WITH THE INFLUX OF INFLUENZA, RSV, NOROVIRUS AND COVID-19 THAT IS KEEPING EMERGENCY ROOMS AROUND THE STATE BUSY, SOME EVEN OVERFLOWING.

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ARE CALLING IT A "QUAD-DEMIC" AND WARNING THAT WAIT TIMES IN ERS COULD BE LONGER THAN USUAL.

DR. RAHUL KORANNE IS BACK TO WALK US THROUGH THIS.

HE HEADS THE MINNESOTA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.

HOW UNIQUE IS IT TO HAVE THIS FOUR-PACK OF ILLNESS AT THE SAME TIME?

>> WELL, EVERY WINTER SINCE COVID HAS ARRIVED WE'VE HAD COVID AND THESE OTHER VIRUSES.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME IS ALL FOUR ARE SURGING AND SPIKING.

WE'VE SEEN FLU HOSPITALIZATIONS GO UP TEN TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH.

WE'VE SEEN NOROVIRUS DOUBLE IN THE LAST MONTH SINCE THANKSGIVING.

SO WE ARE REALLY STRETCHED RIGHT NOW.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS ARE FULL.

WE ARE HAVING TO PUT PATIENTS IN HALLWAYS AGAIN.

I MEAN THIS IS LIKE FIVE YEARS AGO COVID-STYLE STRETCHED THEN RIGHT NOW, ERIC.

>> Cathy: AND ARE WE LOOKING AT THE FACT THAT OF COURSE AS YOU SAY THE VIRUSES HAVE BEEN OUT THERE, THE HOLIDAYS OF COURSE BROUGHT EVERYONE TOGETHER SO THERE WAS THE SPREAD.

HOW ARE VACCINATION RATES?

>> WELL, VACCINATION RATES, WE ALWAYS HAVE WORK TO DO ON THAT.

AND WE ARE RECOMMENDING EVERYBODY GET A VACCINE, THE RIGHT FOLKS IF THEY NEED MORE THAN ONE, YOU KNOW, GET THAT BASED UPON WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE.

SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALL HANDS ON DECK TO TRY TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GETS A VACCINE OR AND ENCOURAGING IT WITH OUR EMPLOYEES AS WELL.

BUT WE'RE BACK TO THE BASICS AGAIN, CATHY.

YOU KNOW, WASH YOUR HANDS, COVER YOUR COUGH, AND IT'S REALLY HARD, I WAS AT A LARGE CONFERENCE TODAY AND HOW DO YOU NOT SHAKE HANDS?

BUT REALLY RIGHT NOW YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET SICK, ESPECIALLY IF YOU AVE DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, LUNG DISEASE, YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE WE ARE REALLY FULL.

>> Cathy: LET ME ASK YOU THAT, IN TERMS OF CONTEXT THEN.

SO YOU SAY THAT WE'VE NOT REALLY SEEN THESE NUMBERS IN A WHILE.

HOW IS STAFFING, STILL PROBLEMATIC THEN?

IS THAT ALSO IN THE MIX?

>> YEAH, ONE IN SIX HEALTH CARE JOBS ARE OPEN AS OF THE 2024 DATA.

WE HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS OPEN, AND OUR HEALTH CARE STAFF ARE PART OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

THEY ARE SICK WITH NOROVIRUS, THEY ARE SICK WITH INFLUENZA, THEY HAVE COVID.

THEIR KIDS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE COVID.

SO THEY'RE SAYING STAYING HOME AND WE WANT THEM TO STAY HOME, BUT THAT STRETCHES OUR RESOURCES AND OUR CARE CAPACITY QUITE A BIT.

SO LIKE I SAID RIGHT NOW OUR ICUs ARE FULL, SOME OF OUR TRAUMA HOSPITALS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF HOURS WHERE THEY HAD TO DIVERT SOME PATIENTS BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAINTAIN TRAUMA CAPACITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SLICK ROADS THAT WE HAD YESTERDAY.

SO IT'S HOUR BY HOUR.

WE'VE CONVENED LEADERS FROM MANY HOSPITALS, WE ARE TALKING TO THEM ON A DAILY BASIS, I JUST GOT A BRIEF BEFORE COMING HERE.

THINGS ARE STILL PRETTY TRICKY.

SO WHAT MY MESSAGE IS RIGHT NOW TO MINNESOTANS IS WE ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU 24/7.

OF COURSE COME INTO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IF YOU NEED US, BUT IF YOU THINK YOU DON'T HAVE A URGENT OR EMERGENT SITUATION, UTILIZE YOUR PRIMARY CARE, UTILIZE AN URGENT CARE CLINIC, UTILIZE VIRTUAL CARE.

THERE ARE NURSE LINES THAT YOU CAN CALL.

BUT IF YOU COME IN, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT A LONG TIME AND YOU MIGHT PREVENT SOMEBODY THAT IS HAVING A REAL STROKE OR A HEART ATTACK FROM GETTING THE TIMELY CARE THAT THEY NEED.

WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN, WE NEED HELP.

>> Eric: IS THERE A PERCENTAGE OF FOLKS THAT USE THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR URGENT CARE AS A PRIMARY MEDICAL SITUATION, OR?

>> WELL, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PERCENTAGE IS.

BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE PATIENTS THAT DO THAT.

WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO STRESS HAVE A PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST USE CONVENIENCE CARE AND YOU DON'T THINK YOU NEED A PRIMARY CARE, THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO GO.

EVERYBODY NEEDS A PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER THAT CAN SHEPHERD YOU THROUGH YOUR LIFE JOURNEY.

THE OTHER PIECE, UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS ALSO HAPPENING DUE TO THE FIRES AND THE LARGE SNOWSTORM THAT WE HAD IS IS WE'RE BACK AT I.V.

FLUID SHORTAGES.

SO IT'S ALL COMING AT US AT THE SAME TIME AND OUR NOT FOR PROFIT HOSPITALS IN MINNESOTA ARE STRUGGLING.

SO MY MESSAGE TO MINNESOTANS IS LET'S DO WHAT WE'RE DOING, YOU DON'T WANT TO BE IN OUR HOSPITALS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE REALLY FULL.

BUT THE OTHER PIECE NEXT WEEK THE LEGISLATURE CONVENES, WE REALLY NEED THE LEGISLATURE TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE'VE GOT IN MINNESOTA, WHICH IS MOST OF OUR HOSPITALS ARE NOT FOR PROFIT.

WE ARE STRESSED AND STRETCHED THIN.

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO US AND PRIORITIZE US.

YOU MAY NEED US ANY HOUR.