Some major hospital systems in California postponed elective procedures as the influx of COVID-19 patients stressed resources and raised fears that a further surge could arrive after the holidays.
Hospitals were moving patients around to use all available space as California’s tally grew to 19,237 infected patients as of Saturday, another record and an increase of nearly 300 from the day before. Bay Area coronavirus hospitalizations rose by 39 to 1,869, another record, defying — at least for a day — faint hopes for a regional plateau.
Intensive care unit availability remained at zero percent average statewide Sunday, reflecting how deeply the Southern California and San Joaquin Valley areas have had to dip into “surge” facilities to care for overflow patients. Bay Area ICU availability was at 11.1% on Sunday — only a slight downward tick from the 11.3% recorded Saturday.
In the face of rising patient loads, Kaiser Permanente said it has postponed “elective and nonurgent” surgeries and procedures at its Northern California facilities through Jan. 4, though the delay does not apply to “cancer cases or other urgent/emergent surgeries and procedures.” The health system operates 39 hospitals across the state, with 21 in Northern California.
Kaiser hospitals in Southern California have postponed nonurgent elective surgeries through Jan. 10 — also with exceptions for cancer — and are also “not scheduling any new elective surgeries through the end of January,” according to the health system.
Sutter Health, with 24 hospitals in Northern California, is also postponing some elective surgeries, the Associated Press reported. A Sutter spokesperson declined to provide details Sunday but said the system has “a coordinated response across the network to prepare for and respond to patient surges,” which may include postponing some procedures.
Good Samaritan Hospital and Regional Medical Center in San Jose also are canceling elective, nonurgent surgeries, a spokeswoman said Sunday, “so we can focus on all urgent cases, both COVID and non-COVID, and keeping all patients safe at the same time.”
Space is so tight at Regional Medical Center that some non-COVID-19 patients have had to wait in “safe areas” of the hospital while rooms are doubled up or new rooms prepared, spokeswoman Sarah Sherwood said. COVID-19 patients are “immediately triaged,” she said.
Kaiser officials said their medical centers are still open and urged patients to contact their doctors about “ongoing care needs.” Kaiser said it will reschedule elective procedures “as soon as feasible while assuring the safety of all of our patients and staff.”
The state’s hardest-hit regions — Southern California and the greater San Joaquin Valley area — still had zero percent ICU availability Sunday, and hospitals reported housing patients in settings outside the ICUs. The state’s stay-at-home orders for those two regions could in theory expire Monday, but they are virtually certain to be extended given the dire situation.
The greater Sacramento region had 17.8% ICU capacity Sunday, rising again above the 15% threshold, but not for long enough to be free of the regional stay-at-home order. The Northern California region — California’s northernmost counties and the only region not under a stay-home mandate — had 28.3% availability.
“We cannot underscore enough the urgent need for all Californians to stay home as much as possible,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement Sunday. “Doctors, nurses and health care staff are doing everything possible to treat every patient who walks through their doors, whether they have COVID-19 or other serious medical conditions. We know how hard this is for each and every one of us — but we must do our part by staying home as this is truly the only way we will help save lives.”
Kaiser officials said they are “keeping a close eye” on availability of intensive care unit beds. They have activated surge capacity so hospitals can accommodate more patients than usual.
“Our command centers continue to monitor the situation carefully,” Kaiser officials said.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernández contributed to this report.
Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tatianaysanchez