GREEN BAY (NBC 26) - A local hospital said less people have been coming in for essential doctor appointments due to fear of coronavirus.
"All the problems you had before COVID, they didn't go away just because of COVID," said Dr. Ryan Murphy, an emergency medicine physician and BayCare Clinic in Green Bay.
No matter what way you look at it, coronavirus is here and that's why local doctors say you shouldn't be afraid of sticking with your essential appointments. BayCare Clinic said hospitals across the nation have seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of patients they're seeing because of the virus. But, as Dr. Murphy said, the longer you wait, the bigger problems you may have.
"We've seen patients who were too scared to come in despite having a stroke, so now they have a permanent disability," he said. "We've seen people with chest pain wait too long and what maybe could have been fixed, now turns into a massive heart attack."
Dr. Murphy said in the last few months, several increased safety measures have been put in place to help keep you safe, from enhanced cleaning practices to social distancing measures to wearing full PPE protection.
As Safer at Home orders lift, Dr. Murphy said they'll continue watching for outbreaks and keeping your safety in mind.
"We want to help you; we want to help you before it gets serious, before you do wind up in a hospital or before you do have a permanent disability."
