SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Sanford Health is temporarily rescheduling nonemergency surgeries as it deals with an influx of coronavirus patients.
Sanford Vice President of Operations Andy Munce said the move is a standard part of its surge plan to ensure it can maintain staffing and bed capacity for the patients who need it.
We continue to closely monitor the situation and have flexibility to make changes based on fluctuating patient volumes. Our focus remains on providing exceptional care to the communities we serve,” Munce said in an emailed statement to KELO-TV.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 hit a new high Tuesday at 480. That’s an additional 78 hospitalizations since Monday, the South Dakota Department of Health reported, the largest one-day jump in hospitalizations.
Statewide, 40 percent of the state’s staffed hospital beds are available and 48 percent of intensive care unit beds.
Another 1,004 South Dakotans have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 48,854. Eight more people died of COVID-19 complications, bringing the overall death toll to 446.
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