Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Fear 42% Drop In ER Visits As Scared Patients Stayed Away Led To Increase In Heart Attacks
The Associated Press: Heart Patients Avoided ERs As Coronavirus Hit, US Study Says
ER visits were up for respiratory illnesses and pneumonia, but were down for nearly every other kind of injury or ailment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. Overall, fewer ER patients showed up: Visits were down 42% in a four-week period that stretched from late March through most of April, compared to the same time last year. (Stobbe, 6/3)
Reuters: Sharp Decline In Emergency Visits Seen In Early Days Of Coronavirus Pandemic: U.S. Study
But the number of visits for chest pain, heart attacks and other medical issues not related to the virus fell sharply, suggesting people were delaying care for conditions that might be fatal if left untreated, researchers said in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report. Previous reports in May highlighted a rise in deaths here from causes other than COVID-19 in New York City, and a drop in child vaccination rates here as people avoided hospitals for fear exposure to the coronavirus. (6/3)
CIDRAP: With Emergency Visits Down 42%, US Hospitals Reeling From COVID-19
The biggest drop-off in patients was among children 14 years old and younger, women and girls, and people in the Northeast (presumably due to large COVID-19 outbreaks in New York and New Jersey). In the pre-pandemic 2019 data, 12% of emergency department visits were for children; that figure dropped to 6% in the pandemic period. Although the fewest visits were seen in mid-April, the most recent complete week (May 24 through 30) remained 26% below the corresponding week in 2019, the authors said. And though telemedicine has emerged as an important tool during the pandemic, the authors warn it's not always appropriate—or accessible—for patients. (Soucheray, 6/3)
