Due to the pandemic, Americans are afraid to go to the doctor for some reason.

Millions of Americans have postponed life-saving screening and other preventive care for COVID-19, according to a surprising newcomer Survey It was published in JAMA, one of the most prestigious medical journals in Japan.

Before the pandemic began, doctors in March and April had 67% fewer mammograms, 72% less colonoscopy, and 22% less pediatric vaccine. The new study is based on other studies and has seen a sharp decline in everything from regular medical examinations to visits to the emergency room. The total number of doctor visits and screenings has recovered somewhat this summer and fall, but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels in many areas.

Fear of catching patients earlier this year COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears I could understand it at clinics and hospitals.Public health officials were still uncertain when the pandemic first came to the United States How it spreads..

But since then we have learned a lot. Today, it is clear that the aforementioned care is usually counterproductive. Many Americans, especially those with chronic illnesses, are ill due to lack of proper diagnosis and treatment.

It is the duty of politicians and the public health community to encourage and enable Americans to visit doctors again, as long as appropriate precautions are taken.

Early diagnosis of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses can make the difference between life and death. That is why the reduction in screening is so embarrassing. Outpatient consultations such as health examinations, CT scans, and ultrasound imaging decreased by nearly 60% from mid-February to early April this year. Screening for breast and colorectal cancer plummeted by nearly 90% in the first four months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

For many patients, these delays prove to be far more dangerous than COVID-19 itself. Dr. Therese Beavers, Medical Director of the Cancer Prevention Center, recently said: “I’ve seen a woman tell me she found a lump. [in their breast] In March, and when I’m looking at them [in July] Located in the lymph nodes. “

Dr. John Bose, director of the University of North Carolina Diabetes Care Center, also warned that diabetics are avoiding medical facilities, resulting in foot ulcers and dangerous blood sugar levels not being detected.

Some Americans are so disgusted with COVID-19 that they are refraining from emergency medical care, with fatal consequences. The total number of emergency room visits in March and April decreased by more than 40% compared to the same period last year. CDC officials cited a particularly significant reduction in visits for symptoms associated with chest pain and heart attack.

Did people actually have a heart attack? of course not. Instead of calling an ambulance, they were simply dying at home. From March to May, heart disease deaths were 27% higher than historical averages in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Illinois, which are plagued by the coronavirus.

Skipping a doctor’s visit also hurt patients who already know they are ill. Most doctor appointments lead to either new prescriptions, prescription replenishments, or prescription check-ins.

In other words, when Americans don’t go to the doctor, it’s more difficult to make sure they’re taking the right medicine at the right time. According to a JAMA study, in April, use of statins and antidiabetic drugs to help treat and prevent heart disease decreased by 8.1% and 6.6%, respectively, year-on-year. This decline is of particular concern given that drugs are some of the most powerful tools for managing chronic diseases. Pharmaceuticals account for 35% of the improvement in life expectancy in the United States between 1990 and 2015, according to a new health problem study.

Prescription non-compliance rates were already fluctuating between 40 and 50 percent in most chronic disease patient groups, even before the pandemic. And non-compliance often causes serious and costly health complications. In fact, it causes about 125,000 deaths annually and one in ten hospitalizations, inflating US health care costs by nearly $ 300 billion annually.

This combination of unchecked chronic conditions and non-compliance with prescriptions is all caused by delayed care, but it will continue to burden our health care system even after COVID-19 has subsided.

Fortunately, it’s never too late to mitigate the blow. Politicians and policy professionals need to be equal to the general public and explain that COVID-19 is dangerous, but cancer, heart disease and diabetes are also dangerous. Politicians in particular can pursue reforms that make it easier and cheaper for people to visit doctors and take medicine.

It’s time to send a clear message to the patient — return to the doctor to replenish the prescription and schedule the surgery. Just put on the mask first.