Beebe Pauses Elective Surgeries That Require Overnight Hospital Stay

Beebe Healthcare plans to suspend elective surgical procedures that require an overnight hospital stay, effective today (Tuesday, September 14th).

Hospital officials said Monday that the decision is being made out of an abundance of caution, and due to the influx of patients requiring hospitalization due to COVID-19 and unrelated serious medical issues. Patients who are affected will be contacted.

According to Beebe, more than 95-percent of hospitalized coronavirus patients have not been vaccinated, but the Delta variant has turned out to be faster-spreading and could cause more severe illness than previous strains in people who are not vaccinated.

“At this time, as we build the level of vaccination nationwide, we must also use all the prevention strategies available, including masking indoors in public places, to stop transmission and stop the pandemic,” Beebe Healthcare President and CEO Dr. David Tam said. “Everyone who is able, including fully vaccinated people, should wear masks in public indoor places.”