Concord Ledger

Hospitals in Merrimack and across New Hampshire are reporting that the rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations are putting a strain on hospitals and health care workers.

Some hospital systems are considering suspending elective surgeries until this wave of COVID-19 -- caused by the rapidly spreading omicron variant -- dies down.

On Jan. 11, New Hampshire health authorities reported that 82% of inpatient beds and 86% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in hospitals across the state were occupied, with COVID-19 patients occupying 15% of inpatient beds and 33% of ICU beds, according to Merrimack Patch.

"We have to reduce the sheer volume of infections," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, wrote in a Jan. 8 tweet. "Using public health approaches like more testing, avoiding indoor crowds and more indoor mask wearing. I remain very worried about our hospitals' ability to care for everyone who needs care over the next six weeks’"

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than one out of every five inpatient hospital beds and one out of every four ICU beds are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Exacerbating the problem, hospitals across the country are also contending with staff shortages that have only worsened throughout the pandemic, which includes workers who have contracted the coronavirus and need to go into isolation.

Health officials are encouraging people to maintain preventative measures to protect themselves from being infected. Jha said that there are still at least 40 million Americans who are at risk due to being unvaccinated or not getting a booster shot. He and other experts warn people not to disregard preventative measures, just because omicron is said to be less severe than other variants.