JUPITER, Fla. — Jupiter Medical Center is pausing most elective surgeries to help provide bed space amid a surge of COVID-19 patients.
"In order to free up clinical resources, we have the decision to cancel and reschedule elective surgeries that are not considered urgent or emergent" next week, the hospital said in a statement posted on its website Thursday.
According to the statement, 63 of the 259 in-house patients have tested positive for COVID-19.
The hospital anticipates high volumes to continue for the next week to two weeks.
"We will reassess the situation on a regular basis to determine if this will need to be extended, based on bed availability," the statement said. "These steps will assist us in accommodating emergency cases and necessary surgeries that cannot or should not be delayed, while providing needed resources for all of our patients."