A hospital in Oklahoma City is closing temporarily because of a lack of nonemergency surgeries and procedures, according to a new report.
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center will keep its emergency room open but temporarily close for most other procedures, a spokesperson told the Oklahoman.
“We fully anticipate that if and when we see a surge of COVID-19 patients in Oklahoma City, we will be reopening this campus,” the spokesperson told the paper.
U.S. health officials have urged people with nonessential medical needs or concerns unrelated to the coronavirus to put procedures off until after the virus has slowed in spread.
The sharp decrease in noncoronavirus medical procedures has hurt the bottom line of hospitals across the country, the Washington Examiner reported last week, as thousands of healthcare workers are furloughed or had hours cut.
Oklahoma has reported just over 1,500 cases of the virus, and fewer than 100 people have died.
