Story Pitch: COVID-19 and It’s Effect on Routine Medicine
Imagine feeling signs of a heart attack. Or a stroke. In most cases you would seek medical attention. That is not the case for people in the Athens-Clarke county area, and around the world. Fears from the coronavirus pandemic have led them to not seek medical attention for things that in normal circumstances they would. This is leading to progression of diseases and people are only seeking care when it is an emergency. It is dangerous to live like this if you are prone to strokes, when 32,000 brain cells die a second. Healthcare providers have adapted by providing things like virtual visits. This is a step in the right direction but lots of diagnostic testing and visits for most diseases require a hands on assessment. Routine visits to the dentist are also down significantly since the pandemic started. This can lead to people not catching cavities and other problems early. The key to medicine is early intervention, and when people are not seeking care until the last second it can lead to deadly consequences.
