'Pandemic of the unvaccinated' burdens busy U.S. hospitals
The COVID-19 comeback across the U.S. is putting pressure on hospitals at a time when some of them are busy just trying to catch up on surgeries and other procedures that were put on hold during the pandemic.
With the highly contagious delta variant spreading rapidly,
cases in the U.S. are up around 70% over the last week, hospital admissions have climbed about 36% and deaths rose by 26%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Some hospitals are reporting record or near-record patient volumes. Staff members are worn out, and finding traveling nurses to boost their ranks can be tough.
Also, many hospitals were busy even before the surge began, dealing with a backlog of cancer screenings, operations and other procedures that were put off during the winter surge to free up space and staff members, according to health care leaders.
The fear now at some hospitals is that they will have to postpone non-COVID-19 care again — and risk the potential health consequences for patients.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/pandemic-of-the-unvaccinated-burdens-busy-u-s-hospitals
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