ORLANDO, Fla. — AdventHealth has entered red status because of the rising number of COVID-19 patients it is caring for and must hold off on some elective surgeries for now, the hospital group announced at a news conference Thursday.

It also announced plans to begin distributing coronavirus vaccines to select seniors near the Orlando International Airport.

AdventHealth is now caring for hundreds of coronavirus patients, it announced. In order to continue providing the best care for those patients, the hospital group is delaying outpatient elective surgeries that are not time-sensitive at hospitals. The decision doesn't affect surgeries at outpatient facilities or any pediatric surgeries.

“We want to make sure we continue to have the resources necessary to care for our COVID-19 patients both today, and the ones we know will be coming in the coming days based on the increase we’re seeing in the community,”  said Brian Adams, who is leading the COVID response for the organization’s Central Florida Division and is the chief executive officer of AdventHealth's Polk County market.

Nearly 1,400 people in Central Florida are currently hospitalized because of COVID-19, health data indicates. At the peak of the pandemic in the area in July, hearly 1,600 people were hospitalized.

Level “Red” means outpatient surgeries at AdventHealth hospitals will only be scheduled if patients can be discharged on the same day, and those procedures that can wait will be postponed.

“We are reviewing those procedures that might be able to wait a day, two days, three days so that we can focus on those patients who need the most care now,” Adams said.

Health administrators said they unfortunately expected to see this increase of COVID-19 patients because of the holidays, and they blame at least part of the spike to holiday gatherings. 

Regarding the new vaccine site, AdventHealth announced it will begin offering vaccines Tuesday to community health-care personnel with direct patient contact, established AdventHealth Medical Group patients who are at least 65 years old, and AdventHealth caregivers' relatives who are at least 65 years old. They will be administered adjacent to Orlando Intenational Airport. Appointments will be required. More details can be found in Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine in Central Florida: What You Need to Know.