The survey findings confirm a growing concern among doctors and hospitals: people are more afraid of contracting COVID-19 than seeking care for serious medical emergencies like a heart attack or stroke.

This data comes during a time when hospitals nationwide are seeing up to a 60 percent reduction in admissions for heart attacks, and according to the American College of Emergency Physicians, emergency room volumes are down by up to 50 percent, underscoring fears in the medical community of the dangerous, and potentially fatal, effects of COVID-19.

Yet, a new nationally-representative study, conducted by SCAI with DEFINITION 6, found more than 50 percent of Americans are more afraid of contracting COVID-19 than experiencing a heart attack, and an alarming rate of people are avoiding care for medical emergencies because of it.

“While there is still much we don’t know about COVID-19, we do know that when it comes to heart attacks or strokes, getting to the hospital quickly and receiving immediate care is the only safe course of action.

When asked which are you more afraid of, contracting COVID-19, experiencing a heart attack or experiencing a stroke – twice as many people over the age of 60 are more afraid of contracting COVID-19 (52 percent) than they are of experiencing a heart attack (23 percent) or stroke (25 percent)

If you have an urgent or emergency medical situation, do not put it off.