COVINGTON, La– At St. Tammany Health System they are seeing a surge in Covid-19 patients walking through their hospital doors.
“32 patients admitted to the hospital. Just for comparison, that’s about 70% of the peak numbers we saw back in April. Our numbers have been below that for the last several months,” Dr. Patrick Torcson, Chief Medical Officer said.
Dr. Torcson said because of the pattern of rising Covid-19 cases they needed to be pro-active and make adjustments.
“We have not cancelled elective surgeries. We are rescheduling cases that can be safely rescheduled for a later date. Patients that need a hospital stay are the cases being rescheduled,” he said.
He said as for the patients needing same-day surgery, those will be scheduled as usual.
“We have adequate staff, protective equipment, and infection prevention measures, so patients can continue to come in and get the treatment they need,” Dr. Torcson said.
Currently there are enough hospital beds to meet the demand. They are just preparing for the rise in hospital cases.
“Based on the prediction model, what we know is coming our way. Anticipating the peak being in Mid-December. We’ll have adequate resources to safely care for the community. This is a proactive move to make sure our health system does not get overwhelmed,” he said.
In a statement, St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper said, “We, like the hospitals in our area, are closely watching the Covid-19 numbers which are rising. We can all help to flatten this new curve, contribute to the recovery, and help our hospitals manage the care of all patients by taking personal responsibility and doing simple things. We all need to continue to physically distance, avoid large gatherings, especially gatherings with people you have not been in contact with recently. If you are out in the community wear a mask, especially when inside local businesses and restaurants. I will reiterate what we have been saying and that is, that I continue to work to balance the health of our community with the health of our economy, and I ask each and every citizen to continue to work with me to achieve this balance.”
