A new Alaska mandate has banned elective health procedures for three months to increase health care capacity and preserve personal protective equipment, such as face masks. Already, some hospitals nationwide are rationing face masks for their nurses and doctors.
The mandate says that the state will establish a task force to evaluate which cases to postpone. Surgery will continue for patients who are already hospitalized or coming from the emergency department.
Another mandate requires hospitals to postpone elective oral procedures for one month to protect dentists and hygienists from coronavirus, which is transmitted through respiratory droplets from the mouth and nose
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation has already suspended elective oral and eye care for three weeks.