CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic is extending the postponement of non-urgent surgeries at its Ohio hospitals, citing the continued challenge of rising COVID-19 cases.
Non-urgent surgeries will be postponed from Monday, Dec. 20 until Friday, Dec. 31.
Extending the postponement is a decision the hospital system made to keep additional beds available with more inpatient volumes and an increasing number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
While the non-urgent surgeries at the hospital system in Ohio have been postponed again, the hospitals and emergency room remain open. Essential and urgent surgeries, as well as heart, cancer, pediatric and transplant surgeries, will continue to be scheduled.
Outpatient surgeries that do not require a hospital bed will also continue to be scheduled.
"We will continue to evaluate our scheduled surgical patients as the pandemic continues," Cleveland Clinic said.
The Clinic urges Ohioans to take precautions to minimize their risk of COVID-19 and to receive the vaccine, stating that the majority of its patients hospitalized with the virus are unvaccinated.
On Thursday, Ohio reported 11,803 new COVID-19 cases in the state, with 391 new hospitalizations and 25 new ICU admissions. The state also reported that as of Thursday, 58.95% of Ohio's population had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 54.34% of the population having completed their vaccination.
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