AKRON, Ohio — Hospital systems continue to be overwhelmed by the rapid spread of coronavirus. Dr. David Custodio, President of the Summa Health system's Akron and St. Thomas campuses, said it takes a whole team to provide care to patients.

“Every day, I see something that gives us hope," Dr. Custodio said. "Our workforce is incredible, from the greeters at the door, to the providers at the ICU — everyone here has stepped up to meet the needs of this community.”

He emphasized that while medical professionals and staff at Summa Health are working hard, there is a strain on managing and treating the influx of patients every day.

“It is a combination of the delta variant of COVID-19, as well as omicron, and we’re seeing more people presenting to the hospital for care,” he said.

A global pandemic with an ongoing nursing shortage is resulting in hospitals being constantly at risk of being overcapacity.

“This wave is a wave of the unvaccinated, so 90% of the patients that we're seeing in the hospital are unvaccinated at this point in time, which quite frankly is a tragedy because of the preventable surge,” said Custodio.

More than 1.5 million Ohioans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and more than 95,000 of those cases resulted in hospitalization, according to the CDC.

Summa Health is working toward supporting its staff during the surges.

“We have a multitude of strategies," said Custodio. "We have a comprehensive program in place to work on recruiting and retention during these surges. We also have surge capacity strategies that we deploy where folks from all areas of the hospital — clinical and nonclinical areas — can sign up to work extra shifts and departments that have high demand or urgent needs.”

Custodio said despite all of the sadness and stress brought on by the coronavirus, he still finds signs of hope.

“Whether it’s seeing a nurse at the bedside caring for a patient, or whether it’s folks in the cafeteria greeting patients and families every day, our healthcare team and our employees are committed to serving the needs of the community,” he said.

Guidance from the CDC said that everyone aged five years and older is eligible for the vaccine, and those who are at least 18 years old are recommended to get boosters.