Impact of lockdown on medical emergency visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

While there is an undeniable role of lockdown (ie, ban on public assembly and restriction of most travel) in curbing the spread of COVID-19, the impact on other services, including chronic illnesses and emergency services, remains unknown. India declared a lockdown which was starting from 25 March 2020 to 30 May 2020 and gradually relaxed after that.1 There was a significant reduction in the growth rate of cases. [...]the percentage decline in emergency visits was then calculated as follows: percentage decline=(((estimated number of visits–the actual number of visits)/the estimated number of visits)*100). Mortality among admitted patients was 11.3%, 15% and 13.5% during the pre-lockdown, the lockdown and the post-lockdown periods, respectively (p=0.0025).Table 1 Demography, organ involvement and mortality in a medical emergency during COVID-19 pandemic Variables Pre-lockdown (n=8965) Lockdown (n=2310) Post-lockdown (n=1416) P value Age in years* 50.5 (17.4) 49.9 (17.2) 49.2 (16.6) 0.014 Sex (male) 5745 (64.1) 1466 (63.5) 927 (65.5) 0.46 Organ system involved 0.0001 Nervous system 1777 (19.8) 393 (17) 206 (14.5) Cardiovascular system 1443 (16.1) 555 (24) 381 (26.9) Gastrointestinal system 1504 (16.8) 293 (12.7) 196 (13.8) Renal system 715 (8) 173 (7.5) 103 (7.3) Respiratory system 768 (8.6) 113 (4.9) 92 (6.5) Haematological system 269 (3) 57 (2.5) 44 (3.1) Toxicological emergencies 147 (1.6) 63 (2.7) 48 (3.4) Endocrine system 189 (2.1) 33 (1.4) 14 (1) Multisystem involvement 1807 (20.2) 539 (23.3) 266 (18.8) Miscellaneous diseases 346 (3.9) 91 (3.9) 66 (4.6) Mortality 1206 (13.5) 260 (11.3) 212 (15.0) 0.0025 Pre-lockdown: January–March 2020; lockdown: