The COVID pandemic is showing signs that it may be in its final descent. History would suggest that most pandemics burn out after a couple of years. We can only hope for the same, but the unpredictability of the last 18 months makes nothing certain. Add to that the very obvious elephant in the room that this could have been a man-made virus from a potential lab-leak (which the media is now taking very seriously), as opposed to a natural occurrence—and one can see how uncertainties persist about what’s going to happen next.
Nations and healthcare systems across the world have focused almost exclusively on COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020, which has meant that lots of very important health conditions have been put on the back burner. We are still playing catch up, but need to do so quickly:
1.Cancer screenings
Millions of people have delayed their usual cancer screenings. These include breast, colon and cervical screening tests—conditions that we’ve made tremendous progress on in recent decades. Most health authorities are aware of how this has fallen behind, and we need to continue our concerted efforts to get patients in for their long overdue tests.
2.Primary care prevention
The annual physical at the doctor’s office is a chance to have a complete check-up including measuring parameters and blood tests. The nature of the COVID response itself has produced worrying trends in peoples’ weight and body fat, which spills over into raised cholesterol and increased cardiac and metabolic risk. Telehealth can never replace office visits, and there are currently too many high risk people walking around who have not had an annual physical since before Spring 2020. The knock-on harms in years to come could be devastating, and should worry everyone in healthcare.
3.Mental health
Pre-COVID, western nations were already facing an under discussed crisis of stress, anxiety, and depression— brought about in no small part by modern lifestyles. The further escalation of this crisis over the last 18 months as a result of lockdowns and restrictions, has been well documented. With spiraling rates of; at best mild depression, and at worst, suicidal ideation—medical authorities should remain acutely aware of what’s happened, and the need to provide support to our patients.
COVID-19 has already caused a great amount of worldwide suffering. As the pandemic shows signs of waning, we must be all hands on deck to combat all the other health problems and killer diseases that have been exacerbated too.
Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Founder at MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine and DocsDox . Follow him on YouTube and Facebook.