Data from more than 20 emergency rooms across five states seems to confirm anecdotal reports from health care workers.
According to Gizmodo, emergency rooms across the US saw a massive decline in visits in March and April.
The study speculates the decline was possibly due to people fearing they'd contract the novel coronavirus COVID-19 if they sought medical care.
ER data from Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina were included in the study.
Lead study author Edward Melnick said people may have unnecessarily suffered or even died because they feared seeking treatment at a hospital.
This is a case where public messaging appears to have worked too well. We said, ‘stay home,’ and what people heard was: ‘Stay home at all costs to avoid COVID-19.’ Associate Professor Edward Melnick Yale University
