OP-ED: Don't let fear of COVID-19 impact your health

In my 15 years as an emergency medicine physician, I have never treated as many catastrophically ill patients as I have over the past several weeks.

When in the midst of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, this may not come as a surprise. But the truth is, very few of the critically ill patients we are seeing in the Emergency Department at PIH Health Downey Hospital have COVID-19. The most compromised patients showing up or being brought to the emergency room have other, non-COVID-19-related diseases such as stroke, heart attack, complications of diabetes, severe pulmonary issues and even bad cases of seasonal flu. In certain people, COVID-19 can be a serious malady, but its presence has not made every other serious disease or condition disappear.

As of May 5, 2020, COVID-19 had claimed nearly 71,000 American lives, taken the lives of more than 2,300 Californians and stricken countless more. But COVID-19 is responsible for more deaths than we really know, because it is killing us in more than one way. COVID-19 has created such immense fear that people are understandably afraid to leave their homes, even to get the medical care they desperately need. As a result, my colleagues and I are seeing patients with late-stage diseases, who are experiencing symptoms for which they would have sought immediate care, that is, before the pandemic.

When we ask these patients why they waited so long to seek care, they tell us that while they knew they were ill, they were too afraid to leave their homes and too frightened to go to a hospital where they might contract the virus from other patients or even from the very people who would care for them. Given these unprecedented times, these are understandable concerns. But as a physician, nothing is more frustrating than not being able to provide care to people you know you can help.

The public should know that they need to seek treatment if they suspect that they are seriously ill, for example if they have chest pains or difficulty breathing. And, patients who need ongoing care for existing conditions should not let the fear of a virus that they do not have, prevent them from seeking care for a life-threatening disease of condition they know they do have. Showing up in an emergency room with advanced disease often means that physicians will have fewer treatment options and outcomes may be compromised, meaning the patient may not return to full health.

Every hospital that I have talked with has implemented stringent processes to minimize the spread of COVID-19. At our hospital each physician, nurse and staff member is required to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms. When they arrive at our facilities, they are required to sanitize their hands and wear a mask. Each patient is thoroughly screened, must wear a mask and has their hands sanitized before entry. Any patient suspected of having COVID-19 is separated, away from others, before they enter our facility. And, we have made significant changes to our visitation policy, not allowing any visitors into some of the more vulnerable areas of our hospital. We are doing all we can to keep our patients, their family members as well as our own team safe.

We hope the virus curve is flattened soon and that a vaccine is just around the corner. But we also hope that the American public will stop letting fear of COVID-19 prevent them from coming to hospitals for the care they need, when they need it.

Dr. Jaime Diaz is Chief Medical Officer, PIH Health Downey Hospital and Medical Director, PIH Health Urgent Care System.