LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After the holiday weekend, medical experts say there is an increase of patients with severe symptoms coming into valley hospitals.
At Mountain View Hospital, Dr. Dominic Martinelo, the Chief Medical Officer, says there is an increase in COVID and influenza patients who are very ill.
Someone who knows the severity of these illnesses is Meri Muranovic. She is a single mother who has lived in the valley for 17 years. She tested positive for COVID in mid-December and spent her Christmas sick in bed, isolated from her son, with what she calls one of the worst pains she's ever felt.
"He was constantly at the door begging me to not die," said Muranovic.
After she got her positive test back, she says each day got progressively worse.
"The symptoms were very severe the first week, fevers are uncontrollable, the headaches, I deal with migraines, I have medical issues, and it was nothing compared to the pain that I felt the first week of being diagnosed with COVID," said Muranovic.
Dr. Martinello says they've seen many like Muranovic this past week.
"We are seeing slow upticks in both influenza and covid. And in terms of general disease, the holidays are a much bigger problem for folks with heart disease or the fluid balance problem," Dr. Martinello said.
Dr. Martinello says patients with medical issues like Meri, or over 65 years old are being hit hard. After more than two weeks of getting COVID, Meri says the consequences are clear.
"Walking is difficult, like I said, if you're walking, it's very hard to speak, I haven't and that's one reason I haven't really worked, I have to talk and I can't," said Muranovic.
