LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky hospitals are bracing for an increase in COVID-19 patients in the weeks following Thanksgiving. At the same time, families may be planning for even more holiday activities and traveling in December. 

Sam Zuege is the director of COVID Testing at Norton Healthcare and cautions residents to follow CDC guidelines when considering holiday plans. 

“First and foremost, we are encouraging not only the community but our employees and everybody around to really follow those CDC guidelines. If the need does arise for them to step outside of their immediate family or to venture out, we are really encouraging folks to realize that the test being done is only a point-in-time test. By the time you’ve traveled, that could be very different. It could be a different result if you got it a day later," Zuege said.

Norton Healthcare is testing between 1,500 and 2,000 people daily, and when it comes to how regularly people should be tested, Zuege says it's a matter of preference. 

“I think it’s at the discretion of each individual person and depending on what cases they might fall into as far as what their interactions have been, and what they are most comfortable with," he said.

As far as results, Zuege says, "no news is good news," for those after testing. 

“From a standpoint of results, we are encouraging all of our patients who are coming through to utilize technology. We are making a physical phone call to each and every one of those positives just so we can walk them through and give them the opportunity to ask any of those questions they may have and really encourage them to follow those CDC guidelines once they do have that confirmed positive. We are making a phyiscal phone call to each and everyone of those positives," Zuege said.