In the third week of April, the medical office of North Dallas Ear Nose & Throat got just one phone call from a patient.
Usually, about 80 people a week come to see Dr. Morris Gottlieb and his staff, and he typically performs about 40 surgeries a month.
That was before the pandemic, of course, and the stay-at-home orders and the restrictions on elective surgery.
On Wednesday, Texas’ rules on elective procedures were loosened, and Gottlieb has started rescheduling sinus surgeries, tonsil removals and the insertion of ear tubes — interventions generally aimed at stopping chronic infections.