Table 2.

Dispatch codes

	Control period	COVID-19 period	Odds ratio (95% CI)	P-value
	1 March to 30 June 2016–19 (n = 60 256)	1 March to 30 June 2020 (n = 14 320)
Organ-specific calls
Cardiac arrest or ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation	292 (0.5%)	86 (0.6%)	1.24 (0.98–1.58)	0.086
Unconsciousness	387 (0.6%)	59 (0.4%)	0.64 (0.49–0.84)	0.001
Dyspnoea	4032 (6.7%)	1056 (7.4%)	1.11 (1.04–1.19)	0.004
Chest pain	4763 (7.9%)	1234 (8.6%)	1.10 (1.03–1.17)	0.005
Stroke	2020 (3.4%)	588 (4.1%)	1.23 (1.12–1.36)	< 0.001
Abdominal pain	2087 (3.5%)	525 (3.7%)	1.06 (0.96–1.17)	0.234
Headache	914 (1.5%)	177 (1.2%)	0.81 (0.69–0.96)	0.013
Pregnancy or birth	364 (0.6%)	101 (0.7%)	1.17 (0.94–1.46)	0.173
Trauma
Airway obstruction (foreign object, drowning and hanging)	236 (0.4%)	47 (0.3%)	0.84(0.61–1.15)	0.290
Other traumas	414 (0.7%)	112 (0.8%)	1.14 (0.92–1.41)	0.221
Trauma-related calls (falls, wounds and non-violent traumas)	7834 (13.0%)	1997 (13.9%)	1.08 (1.03–1.14)	0.003
Motor vehicle accident	2215 (3.7%)	477 (3.3%)	0.90 (0.82–1.00)	0.470
House fire	164 (0.3%)	44 (0.3%)	1.13 (0.81–1.58)
Violent traumas (gunshot, stabbing and assault)	997 (1.7%)	200 (1.4%)	0.84 (0.72–0.98)	0.028
Non-organ-specific calls and non-specific symptoms
Musculoskeletal pain	3565 (5.9%)	834 (5.8%)	0.98 (0.91–1.06)	0.692
Substance abuse, overdose	2039 (3.4%)	444 (3.1%)	0.91 (0.82–1.01)	0.093
Bleeding (mouth, vaginal/rectal and nose)	1279 (2.1%)	358 (2.5%)	1.18 (1.05–1.33)	0.006
Undefined illness (sudden/chronic)	13 518 (22.4%)	3131 (21.9%)	0.97 (0.93–1.01)	0.144
Epileptic seizure	1474 (2.4%)	306 (2.1%)	0.87 (0.77–0.99)	0.031
Hypo- or hyperglycaemia	640 (1.1%)	107 (0.7%)	0.70 (0.57–0.86)	0.001
Allergic reaction	456 (0.8%)	82 (0.6%)	0.76 (0.60–0.96)	0.020
Vomiting or diarrhoea	1726 (2.9%)	360 (2.5%)	0.87 (0.78–0.98)	0.023
Mental disorder	2668 (4.4%)	799 (5.6%)	1.28 (1.18–1.38)	<0.001
Interfacility transfer	5402 (9.0%)	1155 (8.1%)	0.89 (0.83–0.95)	0.001
Other calls	744 (1.2%)	40 (0.3%)	0.22 (0.16–0.31)	<0.001
Missing data	26	1