As shocking, sudden and lethal as Covid-19 is, it does not mean that other preexisting diseases all disappeared.

In a blatant example of this, a 27 year old mother passed away after doctors misdiagnosed her coughing as a symptom of Covid-19, not the actual cause of breast cancer.

Beth Pattison had already fought off her breast cancer twice. When she contacted her physician in March, the doctor told her that her constant coughing was merely a symptom of Covid-19.

It wasn’t until early June when Pattison’s coughing did not ease down that the doctors reexamined her condition. When they realized that her breast cancer has recurred for the third time, it was already too late to do anything. Pattison passed away on June 27.

Unfortunately, Pattison’s case is far from an isolated instance in the UK. Several studies conducted within the UK suggest that British cancer patients are exposed to more risk from passing away from cancer than they were 15 years ago – a significant and unprecedented retreat.

While Covid-19 is not directly affecting the health of the patients, it is using up most of the medical resources. For example, there was a drop of 43% of patients who were urgently referred to large hospitals during the national lockdown.

For cancer, it is extremely vital that the malignant tumor is treated before they spread to other parts of the body. As doctors are busy treating other patients in the hospitals, other patients are being left under diagnosed and under treated as a side effect.

The National Health Service has stopped cancer screening and other forms of referrals. While this is an understandable measure that aims to prevent the healthcare workers from being overwhelmed from all the patients they need to treat, it is also causing tragedies like Pattison.

Moreover, the models used by researchers suggest that the number of referrals are likely to decline into 2021. NHS facilities and staff are expected to practice social distancing and lockdown measures to the highest degree.

This is to say that even if a vaccine is developed and distributed before the end of the year, the NHS is likely to focus heavily on distributing and inoculating people with the vaccine that cancer patients are likely to be tabled.

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Replaced!