Some places are looking empty right now, including doctor's offices and emergency rooms.
A poll from Morning Consult and the American College of Emergency Physicians shows that 29% of adults in the United States have avoided or delayed medical care due to concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus.
Medical experts stress that routine visits are still necessary for both children and adults. Even emergency room visits can be necessary.
“There are people who are having stroke-like symptoms and they don't come to the emergency department,” said Dr. William Jaquis, President of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “If they had, they would've had different types of treatment. But they delayed doing that, and their results and their outcomes are worse than they could have been.”
Doctors say people absolutely need to come into the ER if they're experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, stroke-like symptoms, or if you've recently experienced a bad injury.
Hospitals and doctors’ offices are taking their own precautions. All healthcare providers must wear a mask, as should patients. If patients don't have a mask, they are given one. Rooms are also cleaned extensively.
“You are coming often into rooms that are isolated, single rooms, which are not exposing you to other patients. So, there's a whole range of things to make sure we're keeping our departments as safe as they can be,” said Jaquis.
In fact, doctors’ offices are better able to enforce social distancing during this time because of the low volume of patients.
Experts have found some people may be avoiding the doctor's office as a way to avoid putting strain on the healthcare system.
