A high number of flu cases are normal for this time of year in South Texas, but lately, doctors in San Antonio are treating and seeing more patients with RSV or COVID-19.

Bexar County is once again seeing more COVID-19 hospitalizations as the number of patients at area hospitals reaches nearly 900 — a 344% increase since Christmas Day.

SAN ANTONIO The number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 is starting to decline, according to the City of San Antonios website. But that trend is not something emergency room Doctor Robert Frolichstein is seeing at Methodist Hospital. I dont know that Ive felt that so much in the emergency department, Frolichstein said. Dr. Frolichstein says Methodist has been able to keep staff from getting sick and prevent dire situations where patients would not be treated. We have really not had much illness within the Methodist health care system of staff, nursing staff or physicians.

SAN ANTONIO Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO has recently received a lot of attention as a treatment for COVID-19 patients. In San Antonio, Methodist Healthcare System has one of the largest ECMO programs. San Antonio hospital system, city leaders urge residents to skip large gatherings, follow CDC guidelinesDr. Robert Frolichstein, an emergency room doctor with Methodist Hospital, said although he does not work in the intensive care unit, he is aware of the amazing things doctors are doing at Methodist. A Methodist Hospital doctor on the front lines told CNN that he believes the ventilator can lead to more complications in COVID-19 patients. Inside look: San Antonio Methodist Hospital overwhelmed with COVID-19 patientsI think the ventilator really causes a lot of harm.

SAN ANTONIO Shortly after San Antonio officials confirmed 1,268 COVID-19 cases reported on Tuesday, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff gave a blunt assessment of the situation. Tuesdays startling daily high capped off a tumultuous June, a month in which Bexar County reported 9,235 COVID-19 cases. 6 charts explain COVID-19 surge in San AntonioJunes tally alone made up 74% of the countys cumulative total of 12,504 COVID-19 cases reported this year. San Antonio also saw its highest monthly positivity test rate in June, the percentage of COVID-19 tests that came back positive, coming in at 13%. While the death toll in San Antonio remains low at 111, the surge in cases has the potential to overwhelm the health care system, medical experts said.

SAN ANTONIO Valve masks became popular toward the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic response, but people are now being told not to use them. Wearing masks can be annoying, which is why people began turning to valve masks that have circular or square vents that allow for more comfortable breathing. Why experts say its false to say masks dont filter out coronavirus because odors can get inFrolichstein said he and his colleagues use normal N95 masks but never the ones with valves. So when people say valve masks offer two-way protection and are the best defense against COVID-19, that is false on our KSAT Trust Index. 6 charts explain COVID-19 surge in San AntonioCampbell said protecting the entire community to stop the spread of COVID-19 goes two ways, not one.

SAN ANTONIO Methodist Healthcare System and other San Antonio hospitals, are in desperate need for more staff as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations continues to surge, according to Dr. Robert Frolichstein, an emergency room doctor at Methodist Hospital and the president of Greater San Antonio Emergency Physicians. Frolichstein said he is worried that hospitals will be forced to choose who gets treated and who doesnt if the number of hospitalizations continues to rise. I dont think were there yet, but it is time to start taking this seriously, he said. Coronavirus update San Antonio, June 30: San Antonio shatters daily record with 1,268 new COVID-19 casesWere scrambling to create spaces and create beds. To register, visit: https://t.co/UwCOrlNm2G pic.twitter.com/ZtAavqkOno SA Metro Health (@SAMetroHealth) June 30, 2020Hundreds of nurses will be arriving in San Antonio on Wednesday.

Dr. Robert Frolichstein, an emergency room doctor working in San Antonio, discusses the importance of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT: