Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1406663
15 SPINE SURGEONS LET US HELP YOU BUILD YOUR SPINE & ORTHOPEDIC INSTRUMENT TRAYS SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS FOR BONE AND SOFT TISSUE Phone: 781.849.0109 | Toll Free: 800.925.2995 | www.lifeinstruments.com RASPS ZELPI RETRACTORS CURETTES RETRACTORS RONGEURS VISIT US AT NASS IN BOSTON - BOOTH #3108 ISO13485:2016 CERTIFIED Delta variant sparks growing concern for spine surgeons By Alan Condon C OVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to spike, par- ticularly in regions with higher levels of community trans- mission and lower vaccination rates, and spine surgeons are worried that elective surgeries in these areas could be affected once again. Despite the availability of vaccines, some states, including Texas and Florida, are experiencing significant increases in the number of coro- navirus-related hospitalizations. Many hospital-based surgeons are again concerned that their facilities will be overwhelmed, which will cause further delays for elective sur- geries, many of which were already delayed during last year's peak of the pandemic. "My concern is that working at a university hospital we will once again become overloaded with COVID-19 patients that will severely limit our ability to provide urgent care," William Taylor, MD, of University of California San Diego, told Becker's. "Much of our spine practices encompass urgent patients rather than emergent, but surgery oen needs to be completed quickly and safely. If our hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients once again, our ability to provide service may be- come affected." In a July 29 report, the CDC warned that the "war has changed" against COVID-19 as the delta variant appears to be as contagious as chickenpox and could cause more severe illness than previous strains. "e current quickly-spreading delta variant reminds us that we have not emerged from this world-changing disease, and that we do not fully understand or control the spread of the virus," said Nitin Bha- tia, MD, of Orange,Calif.-based UCI Health. "With increasing disease numbers, healthcare institutions, and healthcare workers, may once again be overwhelmed, even though vaccines are widely available in our country." Over the next six months, the spread of the delta variant will remain the biggest concern for the healthcare community, according to Rich- ard Chua, MD, of Northwest NeuroSpecialists in Tucson, Ariz. Will the spike in cases lead to further staffing challenges, a lack of hos- pital beds, or hamper the ability to perform elective surgeries? ese are the questions that are top of mind for the surgeon community, Dr. Chua said. n