Table 1.
Comparison of emergency department volumes between different periods
| Pre-epidemic, P1 | Early epidemic, P2 | Peak epidemic, P3 | Late epidemic, P4 | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative numbers of COVID-19 patients (average number per day) | 0 (0) | 215 (4.48) | 518 (11.51) | 360 (20.0) | |
| Daily ED visits, total, mean ± SD | 463.92 ± 47.88 | 425.98 ± 102.35 | 248.67 ± 34.87 | 283.24 ± 28.56 | p < .001 |
| Average daily ED visits of past 3 years, mean ± SD | 439.6 ± 32.62 | 482.2 ± 52.82 | 465.8 ± 31.72 | 455.4 ± 17.62 | |
| Daily ED visits of SARS, mean ± SD | 489.5 ± 112.02 | 444.9 ± 65.4 | 324.9 ± 54.82 | 381.5 ± 45.22 | |
| Daily visits, medical ED, mean ± SD | 282.52 ± 27.53 | 284.75 ± 58.33 | 176.75 ± 26.29 | 196 ± 17.56 | p < .001 |
| Average daily visits of past 3 years, medical ED, mean ± SD | 268.4 ± 18.28 | 306.3 ± 33.54 | 295.4 ± 19.27 | 285.1 ± 10.39 | |
| Daily visits of SARS, medical ED, mean ± SD | 263.8 ± 47.99 | 236.15 ± 26.92 | 180.68 ± 25.2 | 212.36 ± 20.03 | |
| Daily visits, trauma ED, mean ± SD | 81.23 ± 10.86 | 61.88 ± 11.66 | 42.7 ± 8.36 | 55.67 ± 12.09 | p < .001 |
| Average daily visits of past 3 years, trauma ED, mean ± SD | 76.2 ± 7.2 | 73.9 ± 6.25 | 72.7 ± 6.62 | 78 ± 5.26 | |
| Daily visits of SARS, trauma ED, mean ± SD | 74.95 ± 10.44 | 77.97 ± 11.74 | 70.82 ± 13.73 | 85.58 ± 12.44 | |
| Daily visits, pediatric ED, mean ± SD | 94.15 ± 21.94 | 74.58 ± 41.85 | 25.18 ± 7.80 | 29.06 ± 7.26 | p < .001 |
| Average daily visits of past 3 years, pediatric ED, mean ± SD | 89.1 ± 12.39 | 96.2 ± 20.45 | 92.1 ± 11.11 | 86.8 ± 8.99 | |
| Daily visits of SARS, pediatric ED, mean ± SD | 150.76 ± 65.96 | 130.77 ± 36.4 | 73.40 ± 27.77 | 83.56 ± 26.59 |
ED: emergency department; SD: standard deviation; SARS: severe acute respiratory syndrome.