By Tim Mastro

ChristianaCare is temporarily postponing some surgeries and procedures due to a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the health system announced Wednesday night.

ChristianaCare said the decision was made to meet the needs of the community and the demand for hospital beds at this time. The surgeries and procedures that will be moved are those “that are not time-sensitive and that would impact inpatient bed availability,” it said in a press release.

“New COVID positive cases are rising sharply in the community, especially in the past weeks following the Thanksgiving holiday,” the press release read. “This surge combined with already high demand for hospital services unrelated to COVID-19 is creating an extraordinarily high volume of patients who need hospital and emergency care.”

No action is needed for those patients currently scheduled for surgery. Patients will be contacted individually if there is a need to reschedule their surgery.

“We are working closely with our physician community to determine which surgeries and procedures can be safely delayed,” ChristianaCare said. “As we also work closely with our patients who will be impacted.”

The health system will continue to perform surgeries and procedures for patients already admitted to its hospitals, as well as urgent procedures and those associated with emergency care. ChristianaCare will also continue to perform surgeries in which patients are discharged within six hours after their surgery.

Outpatient procedures are not affected by this change and are proceeding as normal.

The news comes as Delaware is experiencing its highest COVID-19 rates since last winter.

The Delaware Division of Public Health reported 296 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 in Tuesday’s update — the highest mark since Feb. 2 when there were 322 hospitalizations. Hospitalizations have risen by 77% since Nov. 1.

The state is averaging 572.7 new cases per day over the last week, up from 337.6 new cases per day one week ago.

In its statement, ChristianaCare encouraged vaccinations for both COVID-19 and the flu, plus other mitigation strategies.

“While COVID-19 is not the only driver of the current situation in our community, we continue to urge everyone to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and influenza,” it said. “And to practice masking, social distancing and the other important steps that we know can help to prevent the transmission of COVID and other infectious diseases.”

ChristianaCare said it will continue to monitor and reevaluate its policies daily and make every effort to reestablish normal care as soon as it is appropriate. It added patients who have questions about their individual care should consult with their primary care provider or surgeon.