Arizona hospitals aren't pausing their elective surgical programs yet, despite passing the 80 percent "safety" threshold on bed capacity that should have halted elective surgical cases, Arizona Public Media reports.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey allowed hospitals to resume elective procedures in May if they didn't exceed 80 percent bed capacity. A recent spike in COVID-19 cases has caused some facilities in the state to exceed the threshold, but the facilities are being allowed to perform elective procedures anyway.
Some hospitals, like Yuma (Ariz.) Regional Medical Center, said they voluntarily scaled back their elective surgery programs.
However, if COVID-19 cases continue to increase, it's likely elective surgery programs will be canceled in an effort to ensure hospitals have enough capacity to treat patients.