(GDN) – A surge in coronavirus patients is stretching the resources at Wayne UNC Health Care. 

Beds have been filling up at the local hospital as the omicron variant wreaks havoc across the state. 

Wayne UNC President and CEO Dr. Jessie Tucker tells GoldsboroDailyNews.com the situation had started to improve by Thursday evening.

The hospital’s COVID unit is still full and some infected patients have been held in the Emergency Department.

About two-thirds of the COVID patients at Wayne UNC are unvaccinated.

Tucker says this is a stressful time for Wayne UNC’s staff as they work to ensure patient safety.

Dr. Tucker says Wayne UNC has emergency plans to expand capacity if there were to be a further influx of COVID patients.

Earlier this week, Wayne UNC Health Care suspended COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic patients in its emergency department. 

Also, visitation in the local hospital’s ED waiting room is only permitted when assistance is needed to navigate the visit of if the patient is a pediatric patient.

Tucker says many non-emergent surgeries have been postponed while the hospital deals with the increase in patients.

According to Dr. Tucker, this time around, patients are not getting as sick or having to stay in the hospital as long with the omicron variant.

Anyone who is having a medical emergency is still urged to come to Wayne UNC’s Emergency Department. 

Wayne UNC Health Care offers guidelines for what constitutes an emergency on its website.