Kaiser Permanente is postponing nonurgent surgeries and procedures at its Moanalua Medical Center in Honolulu amid the latest COVID-19 wave, the Oakland, Calif.-based health system said in an Aug. 27 news release.
The change began Aug. 30, affecting a small number of operations. More patients could be affected in the next few weeks, depending on case counts and hospital admissions.
"As we continue to work through the most severe surge of the pandemic thus far, we're taking steps to meet the healthcare needs of our patients and the community," Zamir Moen, MD, chief of medical staff at Moanalua, said in the news release.
Kaiser said it also began postponing and rescheduling elective procedures and surgeries on Maui, effective Aug. 30, as well as some specialty and primary care appointments.
This decision, the health system said, aims to free up staff to work in other areas of the hospital and other facilities to meet care needs and help with testing, same-day and urgent care and vaccinations.
Hospitals nationwide have postponed elective procedures as new daily COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S.
Over the last two weeks, new daily cases in the country have risen 12 percent, with 44 states and the District of Columbia seeing increases, according to data tracked by The New York Times, last updated Aug. 31.
On Aug. 31, the Hawaii Department of Health reported 553 new cases and more than 11,000 active cases statewide.