Hospitals in hot spots like Seattle and New York are postponing elective surgeries, including those to treat sleep apnea, reports the New York Times.

Surgeries that have been postponed so far include hip and knee replacements, A.C.L. reconstruction and pediatric apnea surgery. “The gray area are the cancer patients,” said Dr. Arooj Simmonds, co-executive medical director of surgical services at Swedish Medical Center, which operates several hospitals in the Seattle area.

Dr. Simmonds said slow-growing cancers, like prostate and cervical cancer, were more likely to be delayed. On Friday, the first day of widespread deferrals, Swedish Medical Center performed about 20 percent as many surgeries as is typical, she said.

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