00:00The COVID pandemic halted the world in its tracks, causing industries the world over to come to a
00:05grinding stop. That included many parts of the healthcare industry, more specifically its fight
00:10against other illnesses like cancer. According to a recent report by the National Cancer Institute,
00:15around 9.4 million Americans couldn't make their cancer screenings due to the pandemic,
00:19with another recent report indicating that some cancer screenings had more drastic fall-offs than
00:24others, like colorectal cancer. That involves patient prep the day before and anesthesia,
00:28with an 85% drop-off in screenings during the first few months of the pandemic lockdown.
00:34However, it doesn't stop there. Post-pandemic healthcare worker shortages and patients
00:38changing their habits during lockdown has made the problem even worse. Managing physician of
00:42Florida cancer specialist Lucio Gordon even told The Hill, quote, the drop was in the magnitude of
00:47almost 50%, if not more, adding that he doesn't yet believe they've even gotten back to pre-pandemic
00:52levels. Dr. Gordon adds that for cancers like lung cancer, early detection is key, and missing
00:58months or even years of screenings could be the difference between receiving treatment or moving
01:02into hospice care, with many physicians predicting that cancer mortality rates are expected to rise
01:07in the next couple of years.
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