Montgomery County health officials are urging residents to call 911 and go to the hospital for medical treatment as the Montgomery County Hospital District has seen a sharp decline in the number of 911 calls and people going to the hospital, according to a press release May 26. The district has seen a 30% increase in out-of-hospital deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began.

“We are hearing the same frightening story from our paramedics over and over again,” said James Campbell, the MCHD chief of emergency medical services, in the release. “People refusing to go to the hospital because they are scared of COVID-19. So, this is our message to the community and our neighbors here in Montgomery County: It is safe to go to the hospital.”