Mount Nittany Medical Center says some procedures will resume Monday after a COVID-related delay

Mount Nittany Medical Center announced early Friday evening it will resume some procedures Monday, after they were postponed in mid-December due to strain from increasing COVID hospitalizations.

Endoscopy procedures will return in full Monday, while elective surgeries requiring at least a one-night stay will “resume on a limited basis.”

“While some services are reopening, community members may continue to experience longer than normal wait times when using the emergency department,” a news release from Mount Nittany Health added.

Centre County’s lone hospital previously said endoscopy procedures and elective surgeries would be postponed through this past Wednesday. But, on Thursday, Mount Nittany declined to publicly confirm whether such services had actually resumed, instead saying more information would be released Friday.

That information came shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday. And Mount Nittany noted that future changes could still be made, as the 260-bed hospital continues to monitor the local and regional surge in COVID cases due to the more transmissible omicron variant.

After reaching an average daily census of 57 COVID patients in December, hospitalizations at Mount Nittany have remained under 50 for more than a week. On Friday, according to the hospital’s dashboard, that day’s number stood at 45 such hospitalizations, with nearly three-quarters of those patients unvaccinated.

Still, with rising cases, there is a concern that hospitalizations could also rise again. Over the last eight days, since Dec. 31, Centre County has experienced four of its five highest single-day case totals — with 319, 308, 293 and 284 infections, respectively. By comparison, the entire months of June and July — when the pandemic experienced lows — saw a combined two-month total of fewer than 200 cases.

“We are coming out from the holiday period, and we do expect case numbers to remain elevated in the coming weeks and potentially increase even more,” Dr. Upendra Thaker, Mount Nittany’s chief medical officer, said in a written statement. “Schools and universities are returning from winter break, which will likely lead to continued community spread.”

Preliminary data suggests the omicron variant might cause less severe illness in healthy adults. But, according to Mount Nittany Medical Center, “Getting vaccinated is key to reducing the severity of illness.”

Those interested in receiving a first, second or booster dose of the vaccine can do so by registering for one through Mount Nittany Health, scheduling one elsewhere or attending Sunday’s vaccination clinic at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center, which will be held from noon to 6 p.m. (Walk-ins will be accepted, but online appointments are encouraged.)

The Department of Health is also offering no-cost COVID-19 testing from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday though Saturday, at the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority at 253 Transfer Road in State College. Anyone, regardless of age or residency, is able to be tested there.

Community members can also donate to Mount Nittany Health’s COVID-19 Response Fund or thank front-line health care workers at courageousatheart.org.