Delmicron and Flurona: Bracing for Surgical Impact

摘要

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the provision of surgical care by drastically reducing (up to 80) surgical volumes and prolonged waiting times for evaluation. On the other hand, surgery and follow-up have increased adverse outcomes and spread uncertainty among patients. Simultaneously, resident education has been disrupted due to the reduced case involvement and the attachment of trainees to COVID-19 wards. The emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 strains has repeatedly shattered the expectations of returning to the pre-pandemic status and momentum of surgical care and education. Since December 2021, the rapid spread of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 mutation hasbrought surgical departments to yet another stalemate. Estimations suggest that in December 2021, elective surgical operations were cancelled at the same level as the first months of the pandemic. Although early evidence about the de-escalation of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 surge in South Africa provided hope for resuming surgical services during the first months of 2022, the unpredictable biological behavior of the virus unfolded additional challenges.