Coronavirus fears are putting lives at risk as ill Victorians refuse to call for ambos
Medics are pleading for unwell Victorians to disregard coronavirus concerns and call for help as fears grow that patients suffering heart attacks, strokes and other severe conditions are waiting too long to call an ambulance.
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Seriously ill Victorians are risking their lives by refusing to call an ambulance or go to hospital over fears of COVID-19.
Calls for paramedics have dropped by a fifth over the past three months, raising concerns patients suffering heart attacks, strokes, cancer and other severe conditions are waiting too long to seek help.
Melbourne hospitals have also reported a fall in patients, with some fearing patients have even died needlessly at home. The concerns have prompted a plea from medics for unwell Victorians to disregard coronavirus concerns and focus only on their own symptoms when deciding if they need to call for help.
Ambulance Victoria clinical operations executive director Associate Professor Mick Stephenson said the latest data showed triple-0 calls had reduced across all case types since January 29.
Of greatest concern are conditions such as stroke, where calls have dropped by 10 per cent despite there being no suggestion the true rate of attacks has eased.
“We are very concerned if people with serious illness are not calling us,” Assoc Prof Stephenson said.
“If you are sick, please call us. We are here, we are available.
“The healthcare system is a safe place to be, so if you need it, you need to call and you need to take COVID-19 out of the decision.
“It has been reported right across the health system, that there is a reduction in patients presenting to us.”
An analysis of the COVID-19 impact on Victorian hospital presentations is still being completed, however The Alfred hospital’s director of Cardiology Professor David Kaye said Australia appeared to be following the trends from Europe and the US where people were avoiding care, with disastrous results.
“We have had some patients who have had some symptoms of heart attack stay at home and them presenting quite late,” Prof Kaye said.
“My colleagues in oncology have noticed the same thing. People who would (normally) present with symptoms of a new cancer, they are seeing less of those first presentations.
“As a country and a state, we have done a great job preparing for COVID-19, but there are patients with heart disease or cancer that may have been caught up as unintended consequences.”
Of the 150,000 call outs paramedics have attended since January 29, only 145 patients have tested positive for COVID-19. But with symptoms being similar to those of many other conditions, paramedics are facing an average 700 call outs a day that meet the requirements for a possible COVID-19 case and trigger the use of protective equipment.
Despite the extra level of complexity in responding in times of a pandemic, Assoc Prof Stephenson said it was vital patients realised they would still get a full response from paramedics and hospitals when they were sick.
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