There is a growing health crisis amid the pandemic that is worrying medical doctors such as Murali Naidu

Due to erroneous perceptions that it is best to stay away from medical offices and hospitals due to COVID-19, medical providers are seeing more and more patients that are further along in illness before they seek treatment therefore diminishing the chances for better outcomes.

“What we are seeing in the hospital are much more progression in diseases,” noted Dr. Naidu who serves as CEO of Doctors Hospital of Manteca. “We want to be able to help people get the best possible outcome but we are seeing diseases in much more advanced stages.”

Naidu said that has led to infections that could have been attacked successfully with antibiotics ending up requiring surgery or amputations.

The more dire outcomes are being caused by people postponing seeking treatment for ailments due to concerns about COVID-19.

Naidu said not only are COVID-19 patients isolated from others but the protocols such as Doctors have in place have made hospitals the safest place to be outside of staying within household cohorts in terms of being infected with the coronavirus.

Robust screening proceeds and aggressive cleaning have allowed hospital to have low-rates of COVID transmissions compared to virtually every other segment of society.

Hospital personnel are trained experts in protocols critical to keeping viruses and such in check. Even if supermarkets are other places are fanatic about deep cleaning, sanitizing, and the use of personal protection equipment they don’t come close to the level of expertise or rigid preventative measures in hospitals.

The hospital has a tight control on visitors and constantly disinfects critical touching points. Employees are screened every day for fever. They are trained  — as well as receive continuing education — in infectious diseases.

There is also a strong and growing possibility that if people keep waiting to seek medical care until COVID cases drop even farther and vaccination is more wide spread, it could lead to a pent up demand overwhelming the health care system that could also further delay receiving critical diagnoses and treatment.

“We are now seeing cancer in much more advanced stages,” Naidu noted.

Also delaying elective surgery as each week passes is creating a big backlog that will ultimately force prioritizing who gets surgery in a timely manner.

Doctors Hospital of Manteca has an off-campus out-patient surgical center that follows rigid protocols to protect patients and medical staff as are in place at the hospital.

The COVID patient census at Doctors is the lowest in months. There were 51 of 73 available beds occupied as of Monday with seven being COVID patients.

New COVID cases even with stepped up testing have receded to mid-November levels countywide.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com