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Madison hospitals started postponing nonessential procedures Tuesday as community spread of COVID-19 was confirmed in Dane County, along with Kenosha and Milwaukee counties.

Some drive-up testing for the new coronavirus has begun in Wisconsin even as testing supplies at a state lab in Madison are becoming limited. Health officials said testing should be reserved for patients who are seriously ill or at high-risk, and they asked people with mild or no symptoms to avoid testing and stay home.

“We actually want those patients to not go get tested, even assuming that some of them have COVID-19,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a medical officer with the state Department of Health Services. “We can control the epidemic without knowing (and) being able to identify every single case.”

UW Health, SSM Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter said they are reaching out to patients to postpone many non-urgent surgeries and procedures.

“The health and safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority,” the hospitals said in a statement. “We believe that this step is in the best interest of patients, staff and the community during this challenging period. This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we will reassess schedules on an ongoing basis.”