Head of the department Dr. Marit Märk is asking people to first contact their family doctor or the medical advice line when symptoms appear rather than coming to the hospital.

"At the Regional Hospital's emergency department, the entire holiday period has been extremely intense, with more than 250 visits per day. Right now, we are seeing the flu wave reach its peak, and elderly flu patients requiring hospitalization," Märk told ERR on Sunday.

Normally, the number of daily visits is slightly over 200, she added.

In Tallinn, an after-hours clinic is also open, where patients can register via the online patient portal and book appointments with a doctor or family nurse, Märk explained.

"Initial triage should take place there, before coming to the emergency department," she said.

The doctor said if there is a suspicion of developing pneumonia, a visit to the emergency department is justified.

"Flu is a viral illness, and generally a young, healthy person should be able to recover relatively mildly, with complications being rare," Märk said. "You should rest, stay home, avoid spreading it to others, take paracetamol or ibuprofen to reduce fever, drink more fluids if sweating a lot, and if you develop a cough or runny nose, follow the pharmacist's recommendations for relieving those symptoms."

If the fever lasts more than three days and the cough becomes more intense, then it's reasonable to seek further evaluation, such as a chest X-ray.

"And tomorrow is already Monday, when family medicine centers are expected to reopen. So if there are any concerns, people should start there and only then come to the emergency department," she stressed again.

Dr. Märk also recommended getting vaccinated as flu season usually ends in March, and sometimes even April: "So it's not too late to get vaccinated. This is especially important for at-risk patients, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. But even young, healthy people can get vaccinated against the flu, to reduce their own infectiousness and have a milder illness."

Considering the upcoming celebrations, Märk said it is appropriate for those who are ill to avoid large gatherings.

"Since New Year's Eve is approaching and families are getting together, I encourage people — before attending larger gatherings — to test themselves, if symptoms like a runny nose, cough, or fever. Rapid tests are available in pharmacies, and if the test shows a positive result, whether it's flu or Covid, then it's best to avoid big crowds and events, to prevent outbreaks," said the PERH emergency department director.

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