Those who’ve been putting off routine medical care due to COVID-19 concerns are urged to have it done. During state officials’ press conference Monday, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said she doesn’t want people to delay seeing the doctor and ending up with a more serious problem.
“We need you to schedule your routine screenings like your pap smear or your mammogram,” she said. “Studies have shown that even delaying your mammogram an additional six months over that year’s period of time can affect your survival rate. We want you to get your colonoscopy, get your blood pressure rechecked, and get your lab work done.”
She added that parents who’ve been holding off on their children’s vaccines in an attempt to protect them from COVID-19 are actually making them vulnerable to preventable but potentially deadly diseases.
The Indiana State Department of Health continues to ease restrictions on COVID-19 testing. Those now encouraged to get tested whether or not they have symptoms include people over age 65, those with underlying health conditions like diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure, pregnant women, members of minority populations that are at a higher risk, or anyone who lives with someone in one of those groups.
“There’s a lot of testing out there right now. We just need to get people to do it,” Box added.
But she cautioned that the test is not perfect. “If it’s negative, it does not always mean that the patient does not have COVID-19,” Box explained. “In fact, we’ve found that to be true in cases. I actually had a good friend that reached out and said, ‘I’ve been sick for two weeks. My test was negative a week ago. My toes are blue, and I can’t smell or taste anything.’ I’m like, ‘You’ve got COVID-19. Go to the emergency room,’ because she was having shortness of breath.”
On the other hand, standard tests that come back positive are considered to be accurate.
