Sep 4, 2022
It was December 12th, 2019. A cluster of people in the city of
Wuhan, China, started to get symptoms of an unusual pneumonia-like
illness, that did not respond well to standard treatments. It’s
now, September, 2022. And that illness, COVID-19, continues to
affect us, in just about every way possible. It’s top of mind for
school system leaders as classes for the fall semester get
underway. It’s behind a doubling of people seeking out help from
food banks. And it’s also linked to other serious illnesses,
especially when people delay getting tests and checkups. So in this
episode, we’re talking about some of the lingering impacts of the
pandemic, still with us.
Delays in doctor visits and tests during the pandemic, have linked
to study after study showing by the time there is a diagnosis:
diseases have progressed. The CDC found 41% of Americans delayed or
avoided medical care because of concerns about COVID, increasing
morbidity and mortality. A study published in the Journal of The
American Medical Association earlier this year found a sharp
increase in later stage breast cancer diagnosis. The American
Academy of Dermatology published a study showing more melanomas in
more advanced and aggressive stages during the pandemic, also
attributed to delays. I talk to a breast cancer survivor, Kym
Douglas, Susannah Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank,
and Beaverton School District's Shellie Bailey Shah.