With the waning of the most recent surge of COVID-19 infections in our community, all of BayCare’s 14 acute care hospitals have resumed non-urgent surgeries and are lifting some visitor restrictions. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 12, hospital patients will be allowed multiple visitors a day – but they must visit one-at-a-time to enable social distancing in patient’s rooms and inside the hospital facility.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so does increased media coverage of “breakthrough” COVID-19 infections among vaccinated people. BayCare wants to help the community understand this phenomenon and how individuals can protect themselves.

I am CEO of BayCare, West Central Florida’s largest health care system. Like every major health care system in the country, we are on record encouraging everyone who is eligible to obtain the vaccine. It is safe and effective and it is saving lives.

BayCare will host its annual Employer Symposium on Sept. 30, bringing local employers together to focus on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. During the virtual event, attendees will discuss how they’re operating in the midst of COVID and the challenges they face in a pandemic environment.

As COVID-19’s Delta variant continues to spread across the country, pregnant women are at higher risk for severe illness from the virus. To help provide insight into COVID’s effect on pregnancy, here are some ways pregnant women can protect themselves and their unborn babies.