As COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to surge throughout the state, Main Line Health has decided to postpone elective surgeries to make more beds available and help with staffing issues, writes Stephanie Stahl for CBS Philly.

According to Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, the average number of hospitalized patients per day in the state has increased by close to 3,000 since the end of September.

“This has clearly surpassed our highest numbers in hospitalizations from the spring,” said Levine.

Due to these growing numbers, Main Line Health is being proactive.

“We have, effective today, postponed certain elective patients which would have required in-patient surgical stays,” said Dr. Patrick Ross with Main Line Health.

He added that Main Line’s four hospitals currently have 180 COVID-19 patients and 81 percent of its beds are currently occupied. But staffing is an even bigger issue.

“We are faced with shortages in staff in the hospital because of the community acquired nature of the virus right now,” said Ross.

At one time, 220 Main Line staff members were either out with COVID-19 or off after having been exposed.

Read more about Main Line Health at CBS Philly by clicking here.