Table 1.
Syndromic surveillance systems daily numbers during the peak pandemic period in 2020 compared to 2019
| Syndromic surveillance system | Coverage | Description of indicator | Daily Mean N Weeks 13–22 in 2019 | Daily Mean N Weeks 13–22 (Peak Pandemic) in 2020 | Daily Mean N difference 2019 & 2020 (95% CI)1 | Daily Mean Percentage Change 2019 & 2020 (95% CI)1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS 111 | England-wide | Total: Number of calls made2 | 39,036 | 42,228 | 3192 (1889 to 4730) | + 11.75% (+ 8.67% to + 15.06%) |
| Eye problems: Patients calling and reporting symptoms of Eye or Eyelid Problems. | 573 | 413 | − 160 (− 115 to − 201) | −25.39% (− 20.07% to − 30.87%) | ||
| GP Out-of-Hours | System covers about 80% of England’s population | Total: Numbers of ‘contacts’ (either by telephone or in person) | 26,741 | 23,257 | − 3484 (− 2215 to − 4534) | −11.35 (−8.32% to − 14.07%) |
| Total with a Read code: Number of contacts that have a ‘Read code’ (% of total contacts) | 11,332 (42%) | 8452 (36%) | − 2879 (− 2202 to − 3432) | − 24.02% (− 20.86% to − 26.87%) | ||
| Chest pain/myocardial infarction: includes chest pain and acute myocardial infarction as a percentage of total contacts with a ‘Read code’ | 1.03% | 1.60% | + 0.57% (+ 0.51% to + 0.62%) | + 60.93% (+ 52.82% to + 68.82%) | ||
| Eye irritation: Eye irritation including conjunctivitis and eye infection as a percentage of total contacts with a ‘Read code’ | 0.75% | 0.22% | −0.53% (− 0.50% to − 0.56%) | −71.06% (− 67.90% to − 74.27% | ||
| GP In Hours | System covers about 55% of England’s population | Total: Number of consultations at GP In Hours3 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Mumps: Clinical diagnosis of mumps reported per 100,000 population | 0.100 | 0.055 | −0.045 (− 0.027 to − 0.063) | −31.33% (− 11.45% to −54.49%) | ||
| Conjunctivitis: Clinical diagnosis of conjunctivitis reported per 100,000 population | 4.50 | 1.61 | − 2.89 (− 2.70 to − 3.07) | −63.87% (− 62.75% to − 64.97%) | ||
| Herpes zoster: Clinical diagnosis of Herpes zoster/shingles reported per 100,000 population | 1.66 | 1.19 | −0.46 (− 0.37 to − 0.55) | −27.00% (− 23.18% to − 30.92%) | ||
| Ambulance | System covers all 10 ambulance trusts in England | Total: Number of syndromic calls to 999 for ambulance service | 14,349 | 13,783 | − 566 (− 138 to − 1010) | −3.87% (− 0.89% to −6.92%) |
| Chest pain: Calls where a person is described as experiencing chest pain or chest discomfort | 1575 | 1220 | − 356 (− 254 to − 456) | −22.37% (− 16.58% to − 28.74%) | ||
| Emergency Department (ED) | ED meeting criteria: submitting data on a daily consecutive basis, N = 100 | Total: Number of attendances at ED | 279164 | 148195 | − 13,097 (− 12,516 to − 13,667) | −48.87% (− 45.03% to − 48.73%) |
| Total assigned a diagnosis: Number of attendees at ED assigned a diagnosis (% of total) | 22,348 (80%) | 12,953 (87%) | − 9396 (− 8843 to − 9946) | − 41.95% (− 39.67% to − 44.25%) | ||
| Myocardial ischaemia: Clinical diagnosis of myocardial ischaemia | 379 (1.69%) | 243 (1.87%) | − 136 (− 117 to − 155) | −34.88% (− 30.58% to − 39.26%) | ||
| Fractures: Diagnosis of all fractures | 1414 (6.33%) | 723 (5.59) | − 690 (− 644 to − 738) | −48.67% (− 45.82% to − 51.63%) |
The table describes the data sources, national coverage, and definitions of indicators from each of the five syndromic surveillance systems. Daily mean numbers per syndromic surveillance system and indicators in Weeks 13 to 22 of the peak pandemic period 2020 (Monday 23/03/2020 to Sunday 24/05/2020) are compared to the equivalent period in 2019 (Monday 25/03/2019 to Sunday 26/05/2019) presenting daily mean differences in number of contacts and as a percentage change with 95% confidence intervals
NA: Not applicable
1 95%CI = 95% Confidence Interval. Calculated using boot-strapping method with R boot package, using bias corrected and accelerated (BCa) confidence intervals. 10,000 repetitions used
2 NHS111 calls exclude those callers with an immediate threat to life, abandoned calls, calls for information and calls which do not require triage
3 Total number of consultations at GP In Hours is not available. Consultations with a Read code are reported as a rate per 100,000 practice population for working days only (Monday – Friday, excluding bank holidays)
4 Total number of attendances between 01/01/2019 and 26/05/2019 inclusive was 2,129,878 across 100 Tier 1 EDs meeting criteria of submitting data on a daily consecutive basis; this is 32.02% of the total number of attendances from January 2019 to May 2019 inclusive published in national ED attendance records [20]
5 Total number of attendances between 01/01/2019 and 24/05/2020 inclusive was 2,105,082 across 100 Tier 1 EDs meeting criteria of submitting data on a daily consecutive basis; this is 40.55% of the total number of attendances from January 2020 to May 2020 inclusive published in national ED attendance records [20]