Australians may have their elective surgeries cancelled in the state of New South Wales (NSW) as hospitals struggle to cope with COVID-19 hospitalisations. NSW Health Deputy Secretary Susan Pearce on Friday said that whether the government will turn non-urgent elective surgeries back on in NSW is “highly dependent with what happens with respect to hospitalisations.” Non-urgent surgery can include having a gallbladder removed, cataract operations, some types of cancer procedures and hip replacements. The issue will be detailed in a mid-February review, the secretary said, noting “the next week or two will be critical in terms of making a decision.” Australia’s most populous state on Jan. 7 suspended all non-urgent elective surgery as it recorded over 38,600 COVID-19 cases, including more than 1,730 hospitalisations, and 134 patients in ICU. “It is never the thing we want to do, to suspend surgery and make people wait for longer,” Pearce said. Surgery “absolutely” …