Table 1.
The effect of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatology and auxiliary services for the management of giant cell arteritis by location
| Redeployment of personnel | Biopsy access | Ultrasound access | PET, CT, or MRI access | Clinic access | Medication access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland, Australia | Junior staff to COVID-19 wards | Restricted | Not used routinely before the pandemic | Restricted, case by case basis with direct discussion required | No changes in clinic volume | No change to medication access, including IL-6 inhibition |
| Dublin, Ireland | Junior staff and nurses to COVID-19 wards | Restricted, only inpatients | Not available | Restricted, only inpatients | Temporary (weeks) complete transition to telehealth | No change to medication access |
| Chicago, IL, USA | Junior staff to COVID-19 wards | Restricted | Only for emergency use | Only for emergency use | Temporary (weeks) complete transition to telehealth | No change to medication access |
| Groningen, Netherlands | Minimal loss of junior staff to COVID-19 ICU duties | Available, must have a negative swab result for SARS-CoV-2 before test | Available | Available | New urgent patients seen in person; routine follow-ups by telehealth | No change to medication access |
| Birmingham, UK | Senior and junior staff deployed to ICU and medical wards | Restricted | Only for emergency use | Restricted | Emergency patients seen in person, urgent patients by telehealth; all routine appointments cancelled | No change to medication access |
| London, UK | Most senior and junior staff deployed to COVID-19 and medical wards | Restricted, must have a negative swab result for SARS-CoV-2 before test | Not available | Available, must have a negative swab result for SARS-CoV-2 before test | Initially ambulatory care, then by telehealth | No change to medication access |
| New York, NY, USA | Most senior and all junior staff redeployed to general medicine or COVID-19 wards | Restricted | Not used routinely before the pandemic | Only for emergency use | Complete transition to telehealth for months | No change to medication access, but limitation on intravenous treatments |
| Leeds, UK | Most junior and some senior staff deployed to medical ward duties | Not available | Usual sonographers unavailable, done by rheumatologists with ultrasound training | Not available | Telephone and in person appointments for urgent and emergency cases; routine follow-ups cancelled | No change to medication access |
ICU=intensive care unit. SARS-CoV-2=severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.