During the lockdown, medical offices were deserted. According to the Health Insurance, consultations with general practitioners fell by 40% during the first three weeks, and even by 50% for specialists. This occurred despite a significant increase in teleconsultations, with 1 million appointments per week, and the implementation of phone consultations, particularly for elderly individuals uncomfortable with technology. More concerning, the 11 million chronic patients (such as those with diabetes or cancer) also stopped consulting as much as others did. These postponements could later lead to complications and result in a surge in emergency room visits. “At the beginning of the lockdown, chronic patients often canceled their appointments for hospital examinations or with specialists. This is problematic because these appointments are difficult to obtain and have waiting times,” explains a general practitioner.
The same observation applies to the consumption of antibiotics and vaccines, which decreased by 35% to 71% during the first five weeks. Hospital-treated appendicitis cases and cardiovascular accidents also plummeted, as did screenings for cancers or serious diseases.
The Health Insurance estimates that during the five weeks of lockdown, 110,000 colonoscopies, 240,000 CT scans, and 129,000 MRIs were postponed. Another notable fact is that affluent households adopted a different medication strategy during the lockdown, with a higher tendency towards “precautionary stockpiling” and the use of the hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin combination promoted by Dr. Raoult, notes the Health Insurance.
