Key blood tests plummeted 60% during pandemic, new figures show

Fears that some patients are letting health problems languish has triggered a social media campaign

Orders for blood tests including for lipid studies, HbA1c and HIV plummeted by as much as 60% compared with pre-pandemic levels, newly released laboratory data shows.

Similar declines have also been reported for cervical and prostate cancer screening tests, which fell by more than half in the same period.