COVID Omicron NY: 40 hospitals stop elective surgeries due to low bed capacity

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Dozens of hospitals in New York have been ordered to stop elective surgeries due to low bed capacity.

The New York State Department of Health made the announcement on Saturday, which ordered 40 hospitals, mainly in the central and western regions, to stop non-essential, non-urgent elective surgeries after meeting the state's threshold for low-capacity facilities.

The order means that impacted hospitals must turn away these types of procedures for a minimum of two weeks.

"We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said.

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About one in every five Americans has now tested positive for COVID-19 as children under five are being hospitalized with the virus at record high numbers.

This comes amid a rise in COVID hospitalizations throughout the state.

On Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported 11,843 total hospitalizations due to COVID, marking an increase of 295.

New York also reported a statewide positivity rate of 21.17% along with 90,132 positive COVID cases.

Hochul urged parents to get their children vaccinated, saying that it's the key to the beating back the winter COVID surge along with the vaccine and booster.

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Dan Krauth reports as some NYC hospitals are experiencing a surge in COVID patients this month amid a staffing crunch.

"Our vaccination rate among children is still too low. parents and guardians don't delay in getting your children vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. It's safe and widely available," Hochul said. "This is the one of the best ways to keep our numbers down, as well as wearing a mask and staying home if sick."

See the full list of the hospitals that have been ordered to stop elective surgeries below:

Mohawk Valley Region:

Faxton-St Luke's Healthcare St Luke's Division

Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital

St. Mary's Healthcare

A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital

Cobleskill Regional Hospital

Little Falls Hospital

Nathan Littauer Hospital

Rome Memorial Hospital, Inc

St Elizabeth Medical Center

St. Mary's Healthcare - Amsterdam Memorial Campus

Finger Lakes Region:

F.F. Thompson Hospital

Geneva General Hospital

Newark-Wayne Community Hospital

Rochester General Hospital

The Unity Hospital of Rochester

United Memorial Medical Center North Street Campus

Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic

Highland Hospital

Medina Memorial Hospital

Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital of Yates County Inc

Strong Memorial Hospital

Wyoming County Community Hospital

Central New York Region:

Crouse Hospital

Oneida Health Hospital

Oswego Hospital

St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center

University Hospital SUNY Health Science Center

UPSTATE University Hospital at Community General

Auburn Community Hospital

Community Memorial Hospital Inc

Guthrie Cortland Medical Center

Impacted Hospitals in Other Regions:

Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc.

Mount St Mary's Hospital and Health Center

Erie County Medical Center

Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Sisters of Charity Hospital

The University of Vermont Health Network - Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital

Olean General Hospital

Omicron variant symptoms: what to know even if you are vaccinated

New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus

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