NEW STUDY: How the coronavirus impacts whether or not patients seek care for other health problems

The coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted American life in ways both big and small, has impacted whether or not people seek medical care for other ailments.

According to a new survey of more than 3,000 patients from TransUnion Healthcare, nearly six in 10 patients (59%) deferred non-coronavirus-related medical care over the past six months. It continues a trend seen soon after COVID-19 infections hammered the U.S, which led many medical institutions to shut down elective procedures and curtail outpatient care.

“It’s a big problem,” Jonathan Wiik, principal of healthcare strategy at TransUnion Healthcare, told Yahoo Finance.

“And if you noticed, there are radio and TV ads saying, ‘Please come in if you have something wrong with you, don’t be scared,’” he said. “I’ve never seen commercials like that before in my career. It’s kind of an interesting time.”