Rigid Lockdowns Imperil Public Health. I’m in a Position to Know.

The great irony of our (nearly) nationwide lockdown is that measures taken to protect us may actually be harming the nation’s public health. In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that health care providers postpone “elective” procedures to free up resources to treat coronavirus patients. Governors have also ordered doctors to reschedule “non-essential” appointments. Many doctors have advised patients with serious illnesses to forgo taking immunity suppressing drugs for fear that they might contract COVID-19. And the sanctimonious “listen to the experts” crowd will shout down anyone who dares to question the prevailing “stay home” wisdom.  But I know from personal experience how important it is to address medical problems quickly before they get worse.

I have two autoimmune diseases and a variety of medical problems that have arisen as a result of them. I take three immunity-suppressing medications, including hydroxychloroquine — the “unproven” drug that’s widely distrusted by Democrats because President Trump has promoted it. I’ve had a host of medical appointments and one surgical procedure (on my left eye) cancelled in recent weeks. Because I had one coronavirus symptom, my doctor advised me to get tested for it as a precaution. Based on everything I’ve heard and read in the media, I thought this would be difficult and perhaps risky. But as it turned out, there was a drive-thru facility right near my home and the process was safe, efficient and took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. I found out that I did not have coronavirus in less than 48 hours.

Hopefully, my postponed medical appointments and tests won’t hurt me, but I hate not being able to address medical problems promptly because I know all too well how important early detection of illnesses is to good health outcomes. In January 2017, I experienced unexplained inflammation in my right foot. I saw a doctor but unfortunately he didn’t promptly refer me to a specialist and by the time I was diagnosed nearly four months later, the inflammation had spread around my body. As it turned out, I have a rare skin disease called pan-sclerotic morphea. I will be living with the consequences of the late diagnosis my whole life.

Thousands or perhaps even millions of Americans have untreated and undiagnosed medical conditions right now that aren’t being addressed because of our singular focus on mitigating COVID-19. The former chief of neuroradiology at the Stanford University Medical Center wrote a recent op-ed in The Hill warning that “critical health care for millions of Americans is being ignored and people are dying to accommodate ‘potential’ COVID-19 patients and for fear of spreading the disease.” And the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic told The New York Times that they’ve seen a “dramatic decline in people seeking care for heart attacks, strokes, or new cancers.”

ConservativeChick

Article URL : https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/04/30/rigid_lockdowns_imperil_public_health_im_in_a_position_to_know_143071.html