Kansas City Star: 'Heart attacks at home'? Amid COVID-19, people avoid the ER, and doctors are worried

In Kansas City and across the country, the coronavirus pandemic is causing another health emergency—people are not seeking treatment for heart attacks, strokes, and other serious illnesses, in part because they're afraid to go to the hospital where the COVID-19 patients are.

The Kansas City Star talked to Dr. Michael Main, chair of the cardiovascular division of Saint Luke's Physician Group, and other doctors around the metro.

“Patients, and the public in general, we're told to social distance, don’t leave your home," Main said. "And understandably, some people took this to mean that they shouldn’t even go to the hospital if they had acute symptoms.

“And nothing could be further from the truth. If you have acute symptoms of heart attack or stroke, you need to call 911 and come to the hospital.”

Read the full Kansas City Star article: 'Heart attacks at home'? Amid COVID-19, people avoid the ER, and doctors are worried

Heart attacks don't stop during a pandemic. Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute

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