A Retrospective Database Analysis of Before and After Social Distancing in Relation to Pediatric Infection Rate and Healthcare Services Usage During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.
Clin Infect Dis
; 76(4): 713-719, 2023 02 18.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35724239
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Social distancing policy was introduced in Israel in 2020 to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of social distancing on other infections in children, by comparing disease rate and healthcare utilization before and after social distancing.METHODS:
This was a before-and-after study. Within this retrospective database analysis of parallel periods in 2019 (periods 1 and 2) and 2020 (periods 3 [prelockdown period] and 4 [lockdown period]) we included all pediatric population registered in the electronic medical records of the Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel, looking at the occurrence of non-COVID-19 infections, antibiotic purchasing, physician visits, ambulatory emergency care center visits, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.RESULTS:
A total of 776 828 children were included from 2019, and 777 729 from 2020. We found a lower infection rate in 2020 versus 2019. We did not find a difference in infection rate between periods 1 and 2, while there was a significant difference between periods 3 and 4. We found a significant difference between periods 2 and 4, with a higher RR than for the comparison between periods 1 and 3. There was a modest decrease in ambulatory emergency care center visits in 2020, and lower increases in emergency department visits and hospital admissions. We found decreases in antibiotic purchasing between periods 1 and 3 and between periods 2 and 4, more pronounced in 2020 than in 2019.CONCLUSIONS:
Analysis of findings before and after social distancing and masking showed reduced prevalence of non-COVID-19 pediatric infections and reduced consumption of healthcare services and antibiotics related with the lockdown period.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Infect Dis
Journal subject:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Israel