Radnor, Pa.-based Main Line Health, which serves parts of Philadelphia and its western suburbs, announced Jan. 2 it will pause all nonemergent surgeries for the next two weeks as it deals with a near-record COVID-19 surge, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The decision was made to ensure staffing can meet demand amid shortages related to COVID-19.
The health system will likely surpass its record number of COVID-19 patients this month, CMO Jonathan Stallkamp, MD, told the newspaper.
About 70 percent of the COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, he said.
"Looking at our numbers, we said we need to do this now to be fair to our patients and staff and be ready for any additional cases of COVID that hit us," Dr. Stallkamp said.