Alabama healthcare providers appear to be gearing up for the possible impact of the Delta variant of COVID-19. The original strain forced hospitals to delay elective surgeries so coronavirus patients could fill those beds. The Centers for Disease Control says eighty percent of new COVID cases involve the more contagious Delta Variant. Dr. Rachael Lee treats infectious diseases at UAB. She says the spread of the more dangerous type of coronavirus has her and her colleagues asking a question.
“Are we going to see what we saw back in January, which effects all of the patients regardless of whether they’re vaccinated? If we have to reduce the number of surgeries and increase the number of COVID beds we need to care for these patients that effects your loved ones and that impacts and the health care that we need,” said Lee.
The medical website Beckers Hospital Review reports UAB, as well as hospitals in Huntsville, Anniston, and Gadsden were among those in Alabama to scale back elective surgeries in December of last year to make room for incoming COVID-19 patients needing treatment. Dr. Lee says her hospital is gearing up to handle a new rash of COVID cases.
“And, if we have to flip more into testing and cutting back on things, we can do that,” said Lee. “We don’t want to do that, of course. Nobody wants to be able to turn down patients for the care that they need. But, we are ready and prepared like we did in January, and in months prior.”
Alabama’s health department says almost all of the COVID deaths in the State over the last three months involved unvaccinated patients. Despite claims of higher recent vaccination activity, Alabama has still only fully immunized about 40% of its population.
