| | | Houston-area hospitals suspend elective surgeries as delta variant rages, hospitalizations increase
Lisa Gray, Robert Downen, Staff writers
Aug. 6, 2021Updated: Aug. 6, 2021 2:29 p.m.
 1of5Medical professionals walk through a sky bridge at Houston Methodist Hospital on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Houston.
Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
As the delta variant rages in Houston, hospitals have begun postponing non-urgent surgeries to free up beds and staff that the expected COVID-19 surge will demand.
On Wednesday, Texas reported 8,130 hospitalizations, a 44 percent increase since last Wednesday.
At Texas Medical Center hospitals on Thursday, 336 patients were admitted for COVID-19. “That’s a lot of people,” said Texas Medical Center CEO Bill McKeon — a number already similar to area hospitalizations during the peaks of previous waves.
“I don’t see any end to it near-term,” said McKeon.
COVID-19 patients currently occupy about a quarter of the Texas Medical Center’s ICU beds, and with roughly 300 new patients hospitalized at the medical center per day, their numbers are expected to grow rapidly.
Normally the Texas Medical Center has 1,330 ICU beds. Now, with 1,425 ICU patients, it’s in Phase 2 of its COVID surge plan, which adds 373 beds to its capacity. No previous surge has required Phase 3, which would add another 500.
Some Houston Methodist hospitals began limiting non-urgent surgeries earlier this week. “Each hospital in the system will decide for itself when that time may be appropriate, if ever,” executive vice president Robert A. Phillips wrote in an email to staff.
Texas Children’s Hospital is postponing some procedures on a case-by-case basis.
“Given this is an ever-changing situation, our teams are meeting daily to assess and prioritize patients’ needs,” said an official statement from Texas Children’s Hospital. “We have surge plans in place, and we are prepared to handle the latest wave of COVID-19 cases combined with a highly unusual summer surge of patients diagnosed with RSV.”
RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — is a common virus that can be dangerous to babies and toddlers.
“The hospitals are now titrating elective procedures,” said McKeon. “It’s not so much about having beds available as about having enough staff.”
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