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Perioperative morbidity and mortality are increased in patients with COVID-19; the optimal timing for elective surgery after contracting infection is unclear. In an international, prospective study of >140,000 patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery in October 2020 (>3100 with preoperative COVID-19), patients with COVID-19 who had surgery <7 weeks from the diagnosis had a three- to four-fold increase in 30-day mortality compared with uninfected patients [1]. Mortality risk returned to baseline when surgery was performed ≥7 weeks after diagnosis, except in patients...
