image: Notes: Blue dots represent the observed values. Black lines represent the fitted values from the interrupted time series analysis model. Grey shades denote the 95% confidence interval of the fitted values. Red lines are the average number of hospital visits per million population at the corresponding time from 2018 to 2020. Sandy lines indicate the counterfactual scenarios assuming no COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit: Guanqiao Li, et al.,
In Wuhan, China, a stringent lockdown was implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19, transitioning to a normalised prevention and control strategy. Considering the shared transmission route through the respiratory tract, mask-wearing, social distancing, and personal hygiene have been linked to reduced transmission of respiratory pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2. However, there have been less investigation into the broader spectrum of respiratory diseases particularly in less developed countries.
In a new study published in the KeAi journal Global Transitions, a team of Chinese researchers examined the trends in hospital visits for acute and chronic respiratory diseases between 2018 and 2021 using the national health insurance data from Wuhan.
“Hospital visits for all the investigated diseases decreased during the lockdown period,” shares first author of the study Xuemin Zhu from Tsinghua University. “While visits for control conditions rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in the later normalised prevention and control period, visits for respiratory disease exhibit a more sustained impact from the pandemic.”
Notably, inpatient and severe condition visits for respiratory disease remained reduced even after the lockdown was lifted. Guanqiao Li, corresponding author of the study and also from Tsinghua University, emphasised that this research holds implications for future outbreak preparedness, healthcare resource allocation, and respiratory disease prevention and management.
“During the lockdown, community-level NPIs and government policies, particularly stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions have impeded patients’ access to healthcare services, primarily explaining the substantial decrease in hospital visits for all investigated diseases. Our findings underscore the importance of proactive preparedness by healthcare sectors to effectively manage outbreaks while ensuring the continued provision of essential medical services,” Li explains.
The team noted that the decrease in inpatient and severe condition visits for respiratory diseases upon the return to normal daily life is likely a result of the wide and consistent mask-wearing, social distancing, and personal hygiene improvement. While these reductions cannot be attributed to any single factor, the personal-level NPIs may have effectively reduced the incidence of severe respiratory diseases. Further, the researchers believe that healthcare systems should bolster their resilience to ensure rapid adaptability to diverse healthcare needs in the ongoing presence of the pandemics.
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Contact the author: Guanqiao Li, Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, guanqiaoli@tsinghua.edu.cn
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Journal
Global Transitions
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Reduction in inpatient and severe condition visits for respiratory diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China
COI Statement
Guanqiao Li is an editorial board member, and Wannian Liang is the editor-in-chief for Global Transitions. They were not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.