British officials urge people to not ignore symptoms of conditions other than coronavirus

London: British medical authorities are urging people not to ignore symptoms of conditions other than the coronavirus.

The move comes amid fears that cancer and other illnesses are going untreated as the health system focuses on fighting the pandemic.

Public Health England says visits to hospital emergency departments have fallen by almost 50% in April from the same month last year.

The charity Cancer Research UK has estimated that 2,250 new cases of the disease could be going undetected each week, partly because people are reluctant to go to hospitals for fear of catching the virus or overburdening the system.

The National Health Service is launching a public information campaign urging people to seek urgent help if needed and to continue to attend services such as cancer screening and maternity appointments. It says the system still has the capacity to treat other conditions.

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said "ignoring problems can have serious consequences -- now or in the future."