It wasnt exactly lacking but immediately after COVID really started all non-critical office visits were cancelled. Lots of elective and non-critical outpatient procedures were canceled and impossible to reschedule for months. Even now it can take months to schedule a regular checkup. Staffing issues and long waits at the emergency room are still common. If you’re about to die there’s not going to be a wait.

A lot of people, including myself, waited a long time for our yearly (or bi yearly if you’re older) visit. I’m sure a lot of older people could have done some preventative stuff to prevent a heart attack. Like getting a stint put in if they had an irregular heart beat, had this happened to a family member in their late 80s.