Kaiser Permanente postponing non-urgent elective surgeries in SoCal amid COVID-19 surge

Kaiser Permanente will join several California hospitals and postpone non-urgent elective surgeries in response to the current surge in COVID-19 cases across the state, Eyewitness News has learned.

Hospital officials say the decision was made in order to free up staff to concentrate on supporting COVID-19 units, while ensuring that Kaiser facilities have the capacity and staff available to provide care.

"The exceptions to this pause in surgeries are cancer and presumed cancer cases, as well as any situation in which postponing surgery would have a negative impact on the patient's medical condition, including pain," officials said in a statement.

The postponement will last through Jan. 10 and new elective surgeries will not be scheduled through the end of next month.

Patients affected by this change are being directly contacted by hospital officials.