As the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida rose to an all-time high on Wednesday, the state’s hospital systems started making plans to suspend elective procedures.
Memorial Healthcare System announced Wednesday its five South Broward hospitals will suspend elective medical procedures starting Aug. 9 “to conserve critical resources for the care of COVID-19 patients.”
“The current surge in COVID-19 cases in Florida has led to daily hospitalization rates not seen since the major spike last summer,” the hospital system announced in a written statement. Memorial had 526 COVID patients admitted as of Aug. 3, up from about 400 only three days prior. Memorial’s has seen non-stop people arriving with symptoms of the virus in the emergency departments at its hospitals, according to nursing managers.
Read more at our news partner the South Florida Sun Sentinel.