Overwhelmed by Omicron, US hospitals delay surgeries

UK to deploy troops to London hospitals; France expects new wave to peak around 10 days time

Hospitals across the United States are postponing elective surgeries to free up staff and beds due to a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Administrators say hospital staff shortages have been compounded in the last month by medical practitioners isolating as they themselves are infected or exposed to the virus.

Hospital systems in nearly half of US states have announced they would postpone elective surgeries, a Reuters review of public statements and local media reports found, and at least three state governments; New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, have implemented or recommended state-wide delays.

The seven-day average of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals was up 60percent from last week to 16,458 per day, CDC data shows, just 0.2 percent shy from the national peak in hospital admissions exactly a year ago.

Data from the US Department of Health and Human Services shows that over 82 percent of ICU beds nationwide are currently in use as of Thursday with over 27 percent in use for Covid-19 cases.

In Europe, France reported 261,481 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, less than the record of more than 332,000 set on Wednesday, but the seven-day moving average of new cases rose above 200,000 for the first time since the start of the health crisis. The French health ministry also reported 204 new deaths, taking the total Covid-19 death tally to over 125,000.

Professor Alain Fischer, an official responsible for France's Covid vaccine strategy, said the current Covid-19 wave engulfing the country could reach its peak in around 10 days time.

Britain yesterday said it will deploy troops to hospitals in London to alleviate severe staff shortages caused by the Omicron outbreak. Around 200 armed forces personnel will join health workers in the capital, which has been particularly badly hit by the recent upsurge in coronavirus cases leading to mass staff absences in hospitals.