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Baton Rouge hospital stops non-urgent surgeries due to spike in COVID patients

Our inpatient facilities remain at capacity,” COO Stephanie Manson said.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Our Lady of the Lake in Baton Rouge is temporarily halting scheduling all new, non-urgent inpatient surgeries as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Louisiana.

The health system announced on Monday that the pause on surgeries will start immediately and will last for three weeks. Outpatient procedures that do not require an overnight stay in the hospital will continue to go on as planned.

“Like many hospitals across the state, Our Lady of the Lake continues to experience high volumes of COVID and non-COVID patients. Our inpatient facilities remain at capacity,” COO Stephanie Manson said. 

OLOL says it admitted 25 new COVID-19 patients in the last 24 hours. 

"There are presently 112 COVID-19 patients admitted with 40 percent of those in the ICU. For comparison, on June 14, 2021, there were a total of 35 COVID-19 patients at Our Lady of the Lake," the health system said.

Louisiana is struggling with a fourth surge of the virus as the delta variant sends case numbers skyrocketing and fills hospital COVID wards again. COVID-19 cases in Louisiana - specifically in the Baton Rouge and Northshore regions - have dramatically spiked in recent weeks. 

OLOL is urging patients with minor illnesses - ear pain, tooth pain, rash without swelling, a sore throat without a fever -  or needs to refill medication should avoid visiting the emergency room and instead contact the hospital to schedule a visit.

"The emergency room should be utilized for severe symptoms or life-threatening emergencies," the health system said.

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