CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
As COVID-19 cases in the area continue to surge, the Cleveland Clinic has announced that it will be postponing all non-urgent outpatient/ambulatory surgeries at its Ohio hospitals from January 3-14, 2022. The announcement does not apply to the Clinic's ambulatory surgery centers or ambulatory endoscopy centers.
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Last week, the Cleveland Clinic announced that it will be postponing all non-urgent inpatient surgeries requiring the use of a hospital bed through January 14. The announcements come amid a rise in COVID-19 cases associated with the omicron variant that has put pressure on area hospitals' capacities and staff.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Cleveland Clinic said:
"It is important to understand that our hospitals and emergency departments remain open to care for our community. Essential and urgent surgeries, as well as cancer, pediatric and transplantation surgeries will continue to be scheduled during this time period. We will continue to evaluate our scheduled surgical patients as the pandemic continues.
"We continue to urge our communities to take precautions and receive their COVID-19 vaccine, as the majority of our patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated."
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