Cambios epidemiológicos en urgencia infantil durante la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 en Hospital Regional de Talca / Epidemiolocal changes in childrens emergency consultations during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic at Hospital Regional de Talca

ABSTRACT

Infection by SARS-COV-2, was first described in November 2019 in Wuhan, China. First chilean cases where reported in March 2020.Our objective was to identify epidemiological changes in the pediatric population in the emergency service of the Hospital Regional de Talca (HRT). We carried out an observational and retrospective study. The reason and number of consultations in pediatric patients in the emergency room was analyzed during the periods defined as "Pre-pandemic" and "Pandemic". The target population was all consulting patients between 0-15 years of age. We separated the cases according to the reason of consultation. We obtained the data from the HRT statistics department. The number of consultations decreased by 67.6% per month, while the number of patients who consulted in pediatric emergencies for respiratory symptoms decreased by 75.4% per month. Within the pandemic period, 15,101 COVID PCR samples were performed in pediatric patients, with 13.7% positivity. This allows us to see the epidemiological impact that this new disease has had on pediatric patients in the Maule región