New COVID surge plan factors in flu hospitalizations, health officials say

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Hospitals across Oklahoma are now learning about the state’s new surge plan that was released Tuesday.

Health officials said the plan needed to be updated because of the increase in COVID hospitalizations, as well as the incoming flu season.

Just like COVID has evolved over the past seven months, health officials with the state said they’ve had to evolve too.

“It’s constantly an evolving and moving target, and we’re working every day to try to understand and predict,” said Matt Stacy with the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Stacy has created the state’s surge plans. The latest plan released was based on the three-day average percentage of COVID beds available statewide.

“The tiers create again, an action on the part of the hospitals," Stacy said. "The first step they announced, the hospitals have and they are sharing real-time status with each other so they know where these beds are at."

Stacy said the four tiers are broken down by percentage and will trigger certain restrictions for hospitals.

• Tier 1– Less than 15 percent of COVID beds being used, 851 COVID hospitalizations
• Tier 2– 15-19% of COVID beds being used, 852-1078 COVID hospitalizations
• Tier 3– 20-39% of COVID beds being used, 1079-2212 COVID hospitalizations
• Tier 4– Greater than 39% of COVID beds being used, greater than 2,212 COVID hospitalizations.

However, it’s not just COVID that has hospitals concerned.

Stacy said as we go into flu season, that is factored into the plan.

“[Hospitals] forecast the flu season every year and the impact it’s going to have on hospital beds and we’re doing this with them,” he said.

Stacy said hospitals will be driving the plan and the decisions made by elected officials; however, the new surge plan is one way they can all adapt together.