By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

Holiday traumas, accidents and the flu all contributed to Fayette Community Hospital's Emergency Room (ER) treating a record 125 patients Sunday, Jan. 2.

According to Dr. Julie Ballard, on staff in the ER, the number of patients seen daily is usually below 100, the average being between 70 and 80. The unprecedented number of patients caused longer than normal waiting times, but Ballard said “people have been pretty nice,” under the circumstances.

Additional medical staff was called in. ”We're always ready for this sort of thing,” Ballard said.

Ryan Duffy, community relations spokesman for the hospital, said that 54 beds were occupied on the floors. The hospital is licensed for 100 beds, but “we push the comfort zone at 45 to 50, going into semiprivate rooms,” Duffy said.

Looking back to Christmas Day 1998, the hospital treated 86 patients in the ER and had 15 inpatients. This year, those numbers climbed to 94 ER visits and 42 inpatients.

In response to the growing number of flu cases reported in the county, Duffy supplied some fast flu facts from GlaxoWellcome, Inc.

The flu is an airborne virus spread from one person to another by droplets from coughing or sneezing.

Although flu symptoms are felt throughout the body, the flu virus lives and multiplies primarily in the lungs.

Upset stomach and vomiting are not symptoms of the flu — ”stomach flu” is usually caused by other microorganisms and is often mistakenly referred to as the flu.