A doctor has written an alarming piece for the New York Times, suggesting that people requiring urgent medical care for emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes might be forgoing help out of fears related to COVID-19. Doctors across the globe have noticed a significant drop in emergency patients:
The most concerning possible explanation is that people stay home and suffer rather than risk coming to the hospital and getting infected with coronavirus. This theory suggests that Covid-19 has instilled fear of face-to-face medical care. As a result, many people with urgent health problems may be opting to remain at home rather than call for help. And when they do finally seek medical attention, it is often only after their condition has worsened. Doctors from Hong Kong reported an increase in patients coming to the hospital late in the course of their heart attack, when treatment is less likely to be lifesaving.