Good article! Thanks for finding/sharing!
I think the surgery slowdown will be fairly short-lived. Some local hospitals are cutting back on elective surgeries due to COVID19, but I think the bump in infections is largely holiday-driven. So as we get further from the holiday season and ramp up vaccinations, it will subside fairly quickly and the market should open up quickly. After all, ISRG placed about 10% more systems than they estimated for a year as crappy as 2020! The surgical robotic market isn't slowing down... and once true competition is available, it should blow wide open!