Part of the backlog that the NHS is dealing with are things like cancers that were undiagnosed because people were too scared of covid to go the doctor, or too afraid to go A&E. This is a very real problem and we are going to see more of as our hospitals have reached that point again.Martin_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 12:32 amTreatments being delayed or postponed due to Covid are pressure on the health system; people not seeking treatment due to fear or inconvenience aren't the health system collapsing - stop being quite so dramatic, Henny Penny!Herainestold wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 2:29 pmThere are real effects from people and hospitals delaying treatment because of covid or fear of covid. These repercussions will continue to be felt for years afterward. Every time there is a crisis in the hospital system because of covid waves, it causes ripple effects. Not just the deaths and disabilities from actual covid infections, but the treatments that are delayed or postponed, and people who out of fear, or inconvenience dont go to the doctor.
Its not the lockdown that have this effect, it is the health system being stressed to capacity. If you can supress the number of cases by NPIs, including lockdown, then you can preserve some of health care capacity for non covid patients.
Going forward we need to see more resources for the health care sector, and continuing willingness to use NPIs to manage covid waves, which will continue to occur.
Decades ago most hospitals (certainly major ones) had special infectious diseases wards. As we gradually removed these diseases from society it became uneconomic for new hospitals to be built with such facilities. Perhaps, if Covid becomes endemic, hospital designers ought to consider these again.
You Australians did the right thing and I salute you. Things are going to be very dire here before they get better.You are right we might need to build
special hospitals just to deal with Covid.