SIDNEY, NE — After canceling overnight appointments for a week, operations take a step back to normal at Sidney Regional Medical Center.

SRMC CEO Jason Petik said Monday the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at the hospital has dropped since last week, opening more beds and equipment for surgeries. Last week a surge of people with COVID-19 being admitted to the hospital led to the temporary suspension of overnight stays for other reasons. 

He did warn SRMC will continue to monitor the situation to see if a similar measure must be taken in the future.

"But again, we can pull the plug on those at any time if the resources become so tight that we're not able to handle those folks or get them transferred to that next level of care," Petik said. 

He says another big factor is the ability to transfer patients to other facilities.

"We're on this roller coaster with everyone else," Petik said. "If we're not able to transfer people out to higher-level care facilities, whether its Scottsbluff or the front range, and we end up keeping those folks, it puts more strain on our resources."

Concerns remain as Petik announced Monday the hospital saw a new high for patients in the Emergency Room in a month with 370. Petik encouraged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He said about 80 percent of people who end up hospitalized with COVID at SRMC are not vaccinated.

About 39 percent of the panhandle’s population is fully vaccinated, according to PPHD.