Hospitals Push Off Surgeries to Make Room for Those With Coronavirus

U.S. hospitals are canceling non-urgent surgeries and transitioning routine care to virtual visits in an effort to free up capacity for people infected by the coronavirus and avoid infections as the pandemic spreads, reports the Wall Street Journal . Doctors also said they do not want to expose visitors and staff to potential COVID-19 infection risk. Some hospitals also are requesting people who see primary-care physicians and psychiatrists to use the phone or telemedicine for sessions. Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday will start switching all outpatient visits to virtual care where possible, and postpone surgical procedures that can be delayed, at the discretion of each service area. Surgeries that often can wait include knee replacements and certain gallbladder operations and spine procedures. On Saturday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams suggested on Twitter that hospitals should "consider stopping elective procedures," saying surgeries could risk coronavirus infiltration, draw from their protective equipment inventories, and strain their workforces. However, hospitals balked at widespread elective cancellations in a letter to Adams from four large hospital associations. The missive called on hospitals to decide locally when and which surgeries should be delayed, based on the local spread of coronavirus and urgency of various procedures.