The Impact of COVID-19 on Emergency Department Visits

U.S. emergency department (ED) visits and volumes seemed to change during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that has not been widely quantified. To measure the impact of the pandemic on ED visits, researchers performed a cross-sectional study using data from 24 EDs in five states (Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina) between January 1 and April 30, 2020. Trends in the volume of ED visits and hospital admission rates were compared with daily COVID-19 case counts.

Baseline volumes in the EDs before the pandemic ranged from 13,000 to 115,000 annually. ED visits decreased most precipitously in March in all five states, falling between 42% (Colorado) and 64% (New York). Admission rates increased co…