NEW YORK — New York is continuing to monitor hospital capacity across the state as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
In a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said three regions in the state have been identified as having overtaxed hospital systems.
"Hospital capacity is a concern of ours because what's happening is we have regions where vaccination rates are not where they should be," Hochul said. "Infection rates are going up. And the hospital systems are overtaxed."
Hochul named the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Central New York as regions with overwhelmed hospitals. The Finger Lakes region includes Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming counties.
As such, Hochul says non-essential elective procedures will be limited temporarily in those three regions. According to the governor, this will only be in effect for two weeks.
"This will only be for two weeks," Hochul said. "We assess this ongoing. These are not long-term strategies. I want everything to be short-term so it gives us the flexibility to adapt and adjust."
Hochul says the state is taking a regional approach to limiting non-essential procedures so neighboring hospitals are not overwhelmed when patients are transferred.
