Increases in Ambulance Call Volume Are an Early Warning Sign of Major COVID-19 Surges in Children.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 19(23)2022 Dec 02.
Artículo
en Inglés
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2143179
ABSTRACT
Background:
Infectious diseases, including COVID-19, have a severe impact on child health globally. We investigated whether emergency medical service (EMS) calls are a bellwether for future COVID-19 caseloads. We elaborated on geographical hotspots and socioeconomic risk factors.Methods:
All EMS calls for suspected infectious disease in the pediatric population (under 18 years of age) in Rhode Island between 1 March 2018 and 28 February 2022 were included in this quasi-experimental ecological study. The first of March 2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the 2020 census tract and the most recent COVID-19 data. We investigated associations between pediatric EMS calls and positive COVID-19 tests with time series analysis and identified geographical clusters using local indicators of spatial association. Economic risk factors were examined using Poisson regression.Results:
We included 980 pediatric ambulance calls. Calls during the omicron wave were significantly associated with increases in positive COVID-19 tests one week later (p < 0.001). Lower median household income (IRR 0.99, 95% CI [0.99, 0.99]; p < 0.001) and a higher child poverty rate (IRR 1.02, 95% CI [1.02, 1.02]; p < 0.001) were associated with increased EMS calls. Neighborhood hotspots changed over time.Conclusion:
Ambulance calls might be a predictor for major surges of COVID-19 in children.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
Disponible
Colección:
Bases de datos internacionales
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Servicios Médicos de Urgencia
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Estudio experimental
/
Estudio observacional
/
Estudio pronóstico
Tópicos:
Variantes
Límite:
Adolescente
/
Niño
/
Humanos
Idioma:
Inglés
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Artículo
País de afiliación:
Ijerph192316152
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