SOUTH JORDAN — Utah hospitals, doctors, dentists and other health care providers will soon be able to resume elective procedures “in a measured and cautious way,” Gov. Gary Herbert announced Tuesday.
As part of contingency planning for the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor and the Utah Department of Health on March 16 ordered elective procedures halted to preserve hospital bed space and critical supplies like gowns and face masks, which have been in short supply not just locally, but globally.
The details of the change are being worked out collaboratively by public health officials and the Utah Hospital Association, Herbert said, but procedures will return to health care provider schedules carefully as the Beehive State begins to “incrementally move back” into more economically friendly territory.
Numbers support the move, as social distancing and other steps have reduced though not eliminated the likelihood of a surge in COVID-19 cases. Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox noted less reason to fear running out of critical supplies. They said testing indicates transmission of COVID-19 has slowed down, while growth in the number of hospitalizations has decreased.
Herbert also noted that some of the postponed procedures and operations have become more critical while they were on hold.
Procedures will be allowed under guidelines being established in cooperation with the association, area hospitals and health care providers. But loosening the restriction doesn’t mean that the pandemic is over or people should stop taking precautions like social distancing, Herbert said, while noting the situation in Utah seems to be moving in the right direction.
If COVID-19 cases trend up, he promised that more adjustments would be made as needed.
The process of resuming elective procedures will not be akin to flipping a light switch, Cox said, noting that mostly cases that don’t require hospital bed space will be allowed, at least initially. He promised Utah would continue to prioritize preserving adequate personal protective equipment to handle a surge, should one occur.
Precautions will include testing to be sure people having rescheduled or newly scheduled elective surgeries and other procedures do not have COVID-19, posing a risk to facilities, staff and others where they are treated.
Guidelines will be announced soon, officials said.
The governor and lieutenant governor made the announcement during a COVID-19 briefing at Merit Medical.