Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has extended a measure limiting elective procedures at hospitals in the state, which are facing staffing shortages amid the latest COVID-19 wave.
The governor on Aug. 27 directed hospitals to suspend elective surgeries "that can wait four weeks or longer without substantially changing a patient's outcome," according to a Sept. 29 news release.
The measure was set to expire on Sept. 30 but has been extended through Oct. 31.
According to the latest numbers on the state's hospital capacity dashboard, 24 percent of staffed medical-surgical beds were available in Nebraska Sept. 28 and 15 percent of staffed intensive care unit beds were available statewide.