The novel coronavirus left many people too afraid to visit healthcare facilities, which led to delays in lung cancer screening for many, according to a report from The Guardian.

According to Cancer Research UK, around 47,800 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK every year. But referrals for suspected lung cancer plummeted during lockdown and were still only 60% of pre-Covid levels by the end of August.

“It’s thought that initial advice for people to stay at home and isolate if they had a new, continuous cough could have led to some people delaying seeking help,” CRUK has warned.

“It is a problem,” said Dr David Gilligan, consultant clinical oncologist at Addenbrooke’s and Papworth hospitals in Cambridge, and a trustee of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Get the full story at theguardian.com.