Covid-19 surge could lead to another drop in patient visits, doctors fear — and more missed pediatric cancers
Nothing prepares a parent for a child’s cancer diagnosis. Even more unthinkable is wondering if the cancer could have been caught sooner.
When the coronavirus pandemic exploded in March, people in many states were urged to stay home — and they did. Primary care offices closed, gradually converting to telehealth if they could. In-person office visits for both children and adults fell off a cliff, dropping by as much as 60% in April by some estimates, while what-if questions about possible harms soared.
