The number of people in South Florida getting elective medical procedures has fallen to the point where one attorney specializing in medical malpractice law recently noticed an unusual billboard while driving on Interstate 95.

"People have retreated from going to the dentist, their private doctor, and it's gotten to the point where major health care systems have put together this website called, 'Stop Medical Distancing,'" said Stuart Ratzan, a partner at Ratzan Weissman & Boldt in Brickell, adding that the billboard on I-95 told visitors, "It's time to start talking to your doctor again."

And the fear is real. People have stopped entering medical facilities because of the potential susceptibility of becoming infected with the coronavirus, leading to a significant backlog for non-urgent surgeries. But once most of the population is immunized to the coronavirus, Ratzan said, there will be a surge of patients seeking these elective procedures.