Too afraid to go to hospital despite heart attack

AFTER suffering a severe heart attack, Kelvine Tomlinson delayed calling 999 for fear of catching Covid in hospital.

His wife Jill, 50, took the decision out of his hands after an hour of seeing him grow increasingly ill and called for an ambulance – which Mr Tomlinson, 53, says saved his life.

But he believes that the delay during lockdown this time last year led to moderate damage to his heart, which could have been avoided if he had made the call earlier.

Mr Tomlinson, who lives near Preston, said he wanted others to weigh the chance of catching Covid against the major health risks of not going to hospital. After a heart attack four years earlier he recognised the signs but did not want to be taken into hospital unless he was certain it was necessary.

Mr Tomlinson said: ‘Like everyone else, I thought, “Do I really want to be going to hospital at this time?”

‘There may be a risk of catching Covid but it is still minimal, while the risk of having a major impact on your health if you do not go into hospital is significantly higher.’