public health measures, such as masking and physical distancing, that have been a high-profile part of the covid-19 response for the past two years
are now
beginning to lift
. however, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the remarkable effects of these measures on other respiratory illnesses that are caused or exacerbated by viral infections.
these effects are a valuable research discovery from the pandemic. it’s a discovery that suggests that selective, non-mandated use of public health measures like masking, physical distancing and hand-washing may have a continued role as we enter the endemic phase of covid-19. collectively, these measures are known as non-pharmacologic public health interventions (npis).
decreases in acute care
following the onset of the pandemic in march 2020, many regions around the world reported a dramatic decrease in demand for
acute health-care services
, including urgent care visits to emergency departments and inpatient hospital stays.
early on, this was likely driven by stringent lockdown measures, patients avoiding health-care settings due to fears of contracting covid-19 or the perception that hospitals were overwhelmed and unable to accommodate non-emergency cases.
however, as public health measures were relaxed over the following months, there was a rapid rebound in health-care services for conditions such as heart disease and appendicitis. meanwhile, the decrease persisted for respiratory illnesses attributed to
non-covid-19 viruses
.