WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) Americans curtailed visits to hospital emergency rooms at the peak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in March, with an overall 40 percent drop, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report on Monday.
The report focused on three common life threatening conditions that require immediate medical care - heart attack, stroke and diabetic related hyperglycemia.
"By May 2020, national syndromic surveillance data found that emergency department (ED) visits had declined 42 percent during the early months of the pandemic," the report said. "In the 10 weeks following the emergency [COVID-19] declaration (March 15-May 23, 2020), ED visits declined 23 percent for MI [myocardial infraction], 20 percent for stroke and 10 percent for hyperglycemic crisis, compared with the preceding 10-week period (January 5-March 14, 2020)."
By mid-March, much of the nation was under stay-at-home lockdown orders and hospitals were prohibited from performing most elective procedures, with resources focused almost exclusively on treating COVID-19 victims.
"Since the nadir, emergency department visits for myocardial infraction - commonly known as a heart attack - and stroke have gradually increased, but remain below pre-pandemic levels," the release said.
The report did not attempt to extrapolate the data or estimate mortality rates based on delayed or foregone care for life-threatening conditions.
However, the report adds that steps taken to control the pandemic have also increased the impact of non-virus-related conditions - as numerous medical professionals have warned earlier.
The National Cancer Institute last week predicted a yearly 10,000 increase in cancer deaths - 100,000 during the next decade - due to delayed diagnoses and treatment during the COVID-19 lockdown.
