The number of people refusing to be treated at hospitals in New York has surged as patients infected with the coronavirus overwhelm them, prompting fears of contracting the virus, the New York Post reports. Luis Lopez, an emergency medical technician, told the Post that “there are numerous patients refusing because of COVID-19. People have underlying conditions and are refusing transport. Once we evaluate, they often say they are not going to the hospital because of the virus.” There has been an 73 percent overall increase in “refusals of medical aid” compared to the same time period last year, according to FDNY statistics. “I had a few that were non-COVID that were hesitant to go to the hospital but we had to take them,” Megan Pfeiffer, another FDNY paramedic, told the Post. “Those almost are harder than the COVID patients.”