Roper St. Francis, Trident Medical report surge in walking pneumonia cases

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – This time of year marks the peak of cold and flu season, and this winter is no exception.
Local hospitals are reporting a surge in pneumonia cases this winter, with many patients coming in initially thinking they have COVID-19, only to be diagnosed with the illness.
Two Lowcountry physician assistants said many patients are coming in with symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, fever and fatigue. These patients are often diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, which is commonly how pneumonia starts.
“I think in this season we see a lot more illnesses, especially flu, and pneumonia can also be caused by viruses- so, there’s that, too. But I think there’s a lot more awareness around it right now for sure. More people are worried about being sick because of COVID and everything. So, they’re coming in to get tested for COVID just to find out they actually have pneumonia. But I would say it’s pretty typical to see more illness this time of year,” Christina Breunsbach, a physician assistant at Roper St. Francis, said.
Breunsbach said they typically treat pneumonia with an antibiotic, but due to the rise in atypical cases, a single antibiotic hasn’t been effective. As a result, they’ve been administering multiple antibiotics right away.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health doesn’t collect data on pneumonia cases because it’s not a reportable condition in the state, so many local hospitals don’t report them either; However, the department said pneumonia can result from previously having the flu, COVID, or RSV, which they said continues to rapidly spread across the state.
Officials at Roper St. Francis and Trident Medical Center both said they’ve seen a recent increase in pneumonia cases, with some patients having to be hospitalized.
Sam Roberts with Roper St. Francis said there’s definitely been an increase in sick patients coming in thinking they have COVID just to get tested and find out they have pneumonia.
“We’ve been seeing an uptick of atypical pneumonia. So, mycoplasma pneumonia is another name for that. And they’ve been coming in by the family. I mean, we’ve seen lots and lots of cases recently. We’ve had a lot of young kids. So, all across the board, we’ve seen it,” Roberts said.
Trident Medical Center Emergency Room Physician Kenneth Perry reports a rise in pneumonia cases this year, especially in the last few weeks, as it’s become more prevalent recently.
Roberts said they expect this time of year to be busy, but they are prepared.
Breunsbach advised that while flu symptoms typically improve in about seven to ten days, if your symptoms persist, especially a lingering cough and fever, it’s a good idea to get checked.
“So, most of what we’re seeing is still viral upper respiratory tract infections. Typically, with these, we see improvement within those seven to 10 days. There can sometimes be low-grade fevers with that. But if that fever in the kid is lasting more than four days, I’m usually wanting to see that kid and evaluate them in the office,” Breunsbach said.
As the number of pneumonia cases continues to rise, health experts at Roper St. Francis are urging community members to stay vigilant and take proactive steps to safeguard their health.
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