The Impact of the Covid-19 Outbreak on Emergency Room Attendances of Surgical Patients

Since December 2019, when the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) spread throughout the
world, data have been needed on the effects of the pandemic on various aspects of healthcare
systems. Recommendations for social distancing and quarantine decrees made by local
governments, alongside the general public fear from the spread of the virus, are presumed to
have markedly affected the trends in hospitals visits. Understanding the exact nature of the
effect is critical for better anticipating and preparing health systems in the event of
future outbreaks and in the post outbreak period. Additionally, deferring hospitals visits
can potentially put patients at increased risk for morbidity and mortality, especially in
postsurgical patients. Evaluating the impact of the pandemic on patient volume can guide
decision-making in future scenarios.

Previous infectious disease outbreaks have been shown to impact ED volumes: The US Hantavirus
outbreak in 1993 led to a 2-fold increase in ED visits; Escherichia coli 0157:H7 outbreak in
Washington state in 1993 increased ED visits by 17%; However, the 2003 SARS outbreaks in Hong
Kong, Taiwan, and Toronto reduced tertiary care ED visits by up to 47 percent.