U.S. hospitals are battling Covid-19 on many fronts: Scrambling to create new intensive care unit beds, trying to secure scarce medical equipment to protect their patients and their workforces, training staff on novel treatment protocols, and hiring more nurses. In order to divert resources to the patients in the greatest need — and to protect the safety of the patients who can wait — hospitals are also postponing non-emergency care, cancelling elective procedures and, in general, halting the very activities that used to keep them in business.