OMAHA, Neb. (FOX 42 KPTM) - When the pandemic hit, people with sicknesses other than COVID-19 had to delay their doctor's visits.

Now, hospitals around the area are beginning to see the consequence of that.

“When the pandemic first started, many patients held off seeing their physician," said Dr. Nuss, Chief Nursing Officer at Nebraska Medicine Center. "Many cases, many of their diseases or whatever their ailment was- got worse. So now they’re sicker than they might have been.”

The most recent hospital report states that there are only 32 staffed adult Intensive Care Unit's in the area.

“The patients that are in our ICU’S are patients that don’t have COVID," said Dr. Nuss. "They’re patients that are still having strokes, still having heart attacks, or needing a heart transplant or some sort of heart surgery.”

Adult ICU occupancy rates in hospitals within the area have stayed relevantly the same over the past couple of months; but with the flu season approaching, health workers are worried this could add to the strain.

“What we’re concerned about is we’re coming into flu season," Dr. Nuss said. "We don’t really know what the flu season is going to be like, but flu season historically makes us busy. Often times we have 30 flu patients a day.”

With limited space already, not taking precautions during the winter time could cause more issues for hospitals.

“We’re busting at the seams from a patient perspective and so we’re concerned about what will happen when the flu season starts,” said Dr. Nuss.

Not only are hospitals getting close to filling their adult ICU capacity- they also need a nurse to take care of the patient as well, further limiting the resources of hospitals.

“Based on how many beds we have, and how much staff we have to help care for those patientsis as stretched as it can possibly be," Dr. Nuss said.