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'We don't have refreshed staff that's ready to go again': As COVID-19 cases surge, hospitals start canceling elective surgeries

Data from UofL Health, Baptist Health and Norton Healthcare shows more than 90% of the patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 are not vaccinated.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As COVID-19 cases rise in Kentucky, the Kentucky Hospital Association hospitals around the state are started to cancel elective surgeries. 

“Some of our smaller hospitals have limited ICU capacity, so it really kind of depends on how many beds they have and how many beds are filled," Kentucky Hospital Association President Nancy Galvagni said.  

Baptist Health Louisville’s Chief Medical Officer Chuck Anderson said they aren’t quite to that point yet, but they’re getting close.

RELATED: As cases surge, Beshear warns 'if you're not vaccinated, it's coming for you'

“It depends on how the numbers keep increasing,” Anderson said. “We've been holding a lot of mid-level beds in our ED, but our critical care beds have been okay so far.”

90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Louisville Metro aren't vaccinated

Anderson said Baptist Health Louisville is seeing a big spike in patients.

On July 1, he said they had 5-10 patients admitted because of COVID-19. Today there are 62.

“We’re almost halfway to where we were at the worst,” Anderson said. “I know some of our sister hospitals in the Baptist Health System – we have nine hospitals throughout the state – several of them have new high numbers that we did not have when we had our high. So Jefferson County is bad, but there are other counties in the state that are worse than they’ve ever been.”

Norton Healthcare is currently treating 129 COVID-19 patients, more than half of the hospital’s all-time high of 221 patients with COVID-19 in December 2020.

Note, that surge was prior to monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccines.

RELATED: States that had a grip on COVID now seeing a crush of cases

University of Louisville Health is currently treating more than 80 patients with COVID-19.

"As the number of COVID patients increase, our hospital systems across the country could be overwhelmed and we're seeing that,” UofL Health's Chief Nurse Executive Cindy Lucchese said. “It's impacting our ability to care for all patients."

Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations

  • Baptist Health Louisville: 62
  • Norton Healthcare: 129
  • University of Louisville Health: 80+

Data from UofL Health, Baptist Health and Norton Healthcare showed more than 90% of the current patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 are not vaccinated.

At this time, a UofL Health spokesperson said they are still accepting patient transfers.

Health care workers are tired

There are several differences between this surge and last.

Last year, PPE was in short supply, there were no vaccines and very limited treatment options.

Now, that’s not the case.

But more than a year into this global pandemic, health care workers are exhausted. Burnout is the biggest issue they’re facing today.

"We don't have refreshed staff that's ready to go again,” Anderson said. "We were already understaffed and now we're stressing our staff even more. Our staff is doing a great job. We're trying to help them. All systems are doing things to keep the staff going, but they're all just tired and worn out."

To slow down cases and keep hospitals running smoothly, Anderson said it’s time people start masking up again, social distancing when possible and, if eligible, he strongly encourages people to get vaccinated.

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