New U.S. health crisis looms as patients without COVID-19 delay care

(Reuters) - A Texas man who waited until his brain tumor was softball-sized; a baby who suffered an ear infection for six days; a heart patient who died: The resurgence of COVID-19 is creating another health crisis as hospitals fill and patients are fearful or unable to get non-emergency care

A protective screen is seen at the entrance to a negative pressure ICU hospital room, where COVID-19 patients are treated, at St John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. Picture taken July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Sandra Stojanovic

With U.S. coronavirus infections reaching new heights, doctors and hospitals say they are also seeing sharp declines in patients seeking routine medical care and screenings - and a rise in those who have delayed care for so long they are far sicker than they otherwise would be.

“I had one lady who had delayed for five days coming in with abdominal pain that was getting worse and worse,” said Dr. Diana Fite, who practices emergency medicine in Houston. “When she finally came in, she had a ruptured appendix.”

After the pandemic was declared a national emergency in March, many states banned non-essential medical procedures, and the number of patients seeking care for other ailments took a nosedive. Hospitals and medical practices were hit hard financially.

Emergency department use dropped by 42% during the first 10 weeks of the pandemic despite a rise in patients presenting with symptoms of the coronavirus, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. In the same period, patients seeking care for heart attacks dropped by 23% and stroke care by 20%.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-care/new-u-s-health-crisis-looms-as-patients-without-covid-19-delay-care-idUSKCN24E143?feedType=mktg&feedName=topNews&WT.mc_id=Partner-Google