The Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) says that one person has died and several more have suffered COVID complications because they were afraid to seek hospital treatment for the disease.
Fear and misinformation are playing a part, doctors say, in keeping patients away from hospitals when they really should be in one.
Doctors say some people believe that staying at home is the right thing to do, either to avoid catching COVID-19 at the hospital or out of fear of crowding a facility that others need more.
Neither of those concerns should keep patients away and hospital officials urge sick patients to get the care they need without unnecessary worry.
