COLUMBUS, Ind. — COVID-19 hospitalizations at Columbus Regional Hospital continued to surge to unprecedented levels over the weekend and have more than tripled over the past two weeks.
On Sunday, there were 43 people hospitalized with COVID-19 at CRH — the highest number since the pandemic swept through Indiana and up from 12 on Nov. 1, according to the COVID-19 Community Task Force.
It was the fifth time that coronavirus hospitalizations set a new record over the past week.
The surge in hospitalizations at CRH comes as hospitalizations continue to skyrocket across the state, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
There were 2,768 people hospitalized in Indiana with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections, an all-time record and up from 731 on Sept. 12, according to state figures.
Many hospitals across the state, including CRH, have announced plans to prioritize surgical procedures in an effort to help maintain adequate numbers of beds and ensure capacity for those who need urgent inpatient care.
CRH has announced it will begin prioritizing surgical procedures and is evaluating procedures that require an overnight or inpatient stay.
Prioritization of surgical procedures will be based on a variety of factors including the individual patient’s medical condition and risk for disease progression, as well as availability of inpatient capacity level and vital resources such as critical equipment and supplies, available staff, and beds.
Currently, CRH outpatient care is continuing as usual.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
