COVID-19 Delays Treatment, Worsens Outcomes for Heart and Stroke Patients: Survey

A COVID-19 intensive care unit is shown at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, on Dec. 8, 2020. Mikaela MacKenzie/The Canadian Press

Canadians suffering from heart disease and stroke are facing delays in diagnosis and treatment due to the ongoing disruptive impacts of the pandemic on Canada’s health care system, according to a new survey of health care professionals and researchers.

The national survey, sponsored by the Heart & Stroke Foundation and released Oct. 19, found that 9 out of 10 medical professionals and researchers worried that the health of people living with heart disease or stroke has worsened because needed medical care was not always available during the pandemic. 

Eight of out 10 respondents say that their greatest concern is a delay in diagnosis and treatment while over half expected that mental health issues stemming from the pandemic “are going to be significant.”