The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned some very harsh consequences for people and communities across the United States.

One such consequence was spotlighted earlier this month in an eye-opening report by ProPublica and several other publications. It seems in the midst of the pandemic, people stopped going to their doctors and put off annual health screenings, including tests for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer.

Some cancer clinics and hospitals also suspended biopsies and chemotherapy and radiation treatments during the pandemic, according to the ProPublica report.

As a result, the National Cancer Institute has forecast almost 10,000 more deaths during the next decade from breast and colorectal cancer alone because of pandemic-related delays in diagnosis and treatment.

“Unfortunately, by causing cancellations of appointments and cancer screenings, COVID will indirectly cause an increase in cancer deaths — another negative consequence of COVID that has not yet received much public attention,” Dr. Ronald Chen, associate director of health equity at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, stated in one report.

According to the ProPublica report, preventive cancer screenings for breast, colon and cervical cancer dropped by as much as 94 percent during the first four months of 2020 compared with averages from 2017 to 2019.

A separate study, published in late April in JAMA Oncology, found that 9.4 million screenings for breast, colon and prostate cancer did not occur in the United States last year because of COVID-19.

The data suggest that many cancers could go undiag- nosed, or be diagnosed at a later stage, which reduces a patient’s chances for survival.

The ProPublica report also provided anecdotal information about how delays during the pandemic have affected the health and life of a Chicago woman and her family.

We know from the American Cancer Society’s pre-pandemic statistics that cancer, like COVID-19, has a disparate impact on the African-American community. Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the nation for most cancers. Cancer also is the leading cause of death among Latinos.

We agree with the experts who now urge all Americans, particularly people of color, to get back on track with regular health screenings and doctors’ visits. Health officials are concerned that the aftermath of one public health crisis may morph into many others.

While telehealth visits helped during the pandemic, health officials emphasize the need for people to reschedule canceled or missed screenings from the past year.

We concur. Our health and our lives depend on it.