Prohibitions on elective surgeries, in place in most states since early March, have taken a toll on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare workers. But patients may be the group that have suffered the most.

“A lot of treatment has been delayed that was important but not necessarily emergent,” said Dr. Juliette Madrigal Dersch, a primary care physician in Marble Falls, Texas. Elective surgery includes heart operations, cancer treatment, joint replacements, and spine surgery. “Elective” only means that it is not a medical emergency, not that it is unnecessary.