A summary of this story was republished by El Tiempo Latino. Puedes leer un resumen de este artículo en español aquí.

Gov. Ralph Northam is declaring a state of emergency aimed at providing relief to Virginia hospitals facing record-high hospitalizations amid an explosion of coronavirus cases in the state.

The limited state of emergency, which lasts 30 days, will allow hospitals to expand the number of beds, add more flexibility in staffing, allow more virtual telehealth options, and expand the list of medical professionals that can administer vaccines to include physicians assistants. It also allows providers with an active out-of-state license to practice in Virginia.

Nearly 3,700 people, mostly unvaccinated, are hospitalized with COVID in Virginia, according to the state’s Department of Health data. ICU hospitalizations have more than doubled since December. Last January saw a similar peak with about 3,100 hospitalizations. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association have urged people not to go to the emergency room for minor cases of COVID or for testing.

Northam says the long onslaught of the pandemic has put a strain on doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who have “worked tirelessly for 22 months.”

“I say tirelessly, but it’s not really the right word. Because they are tired, they’re exhausted, and they’re burned out,” Northam, a doctor himself, said Monday. “That’s why it’s so important for all of us to help them. So please go to the hospital only if you believe you really need to, let’s not put even more pressure on hospital workers to care for people who don’t need to be there, when they’re seeing rising numbers of people who do need to be there.”

The state of emergency is one of Northam’s last official actions as governor, as his term ends this weekend. He will return to his practice as a pediatric neurologist in Norfolk, Virginia as incoming Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will be sworn in Saturday.

It appears Youngkin will keep Northam’s order in place, according to transition aide Devin O’Malley.

“It is clear that our hospital systems continue to experience a historic staffing crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic creates new challenges for them,” O’Malley said in a statement. “Governor-elect Youngkin supports the use of tailored executive action that removes staffing barriers and provides healthcare providers the flexibility in order to deliver high-quality care and give overworked medical professionals the relief they need.”

Still, Youngkin’s approach to the pandemic could significantly differ from Northam’s — he’s opposed vaccine mandates and school mask mandates. Youngkin has also turned down Health Commissioner Norman Oliver’s request to stay on the job and finish out his work through the pandemic.

Data modeling predicts that the omicron wave could peak in the next few weeks.

Northam encouraged people to get vaccinated and boosted and continue to wear masks to help hospital workers.

According to the governor’s office, “Virginia has among the nation’s lowest COVID-19 case rates and death rates per capita, and the Commonwealth ranks in the top ten most vaccinated states in the country.” But the more contagious omicron variant has dramatically increased the number of people seeking hospitalization, especially those unvaccinated.

Last week, Maryland announced a similar state of emergency for hospitals with similar goals as Virginia. The District is “looking very closely” at one as well, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser. On Tuesday, the City of Alexandria is also voting to extend its citywide state of emergency to June 30.

This story was updated to include a statement from the Youngkin transition team and information about other states of emergencies.