Doctors and other medical professionals are urging you not to be afraid to go into the hospital or clinic. This after a new study which finds the majority of Americans that need heart treatment won't go in because they worry they'll catch COVID-19.
Nearly 40 percent of Americans still see going to the hospital as risky behavior. Even riskier than going to the hair salon, a concert, or the beach. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention finds hospitals nationwide are seeing up to 60 percent less heart attack visits. Patients are fear catching COVID-19 more than having a stroke. KTRH medical expert Dr. Joe Galati says they shouldn't be. Face masks, hand sanitizer, and wiping down surfaces are now the norm at medical facilities.
“I would say in all of my 30 plus year career of practicing medicine, I’ve never seen anything like this and enforced to the degree that we’re at,” Galati said.
SCAI notes that heart disease is responsible for one in four American deaths each year.