Mandeville Regional Hospital is currently only conducting emergency surgery as 27 staff members of the theatre and high dependency unit have tested positive for COVID-19.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Everton McIntosh disclosed the crisis during a radio interview Wednesday afternoon.

McIntosh said that the theatre and high dependency unit became short-staffed as the positive tests represented 30 per cent of the staff members at the unit, which makes the department unable to conduct elective surgery.

Meanwhile, McIntosh said the situation in the parish of Manchester is so severe that hospital staff is creating a repurposed ward to accommodate COVID-19 patients.

He said the ward that was made available at the facility for COVID-19 is at maximum capacity.

Manchester has seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 in recent days and recorded 81 new cases on Monday, the highest case count in the parish for one day.