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.

In Canada, the usual annual surge in influenza infections has not occurred during the two winters since the beginning of the pandemic.

Our research group — all front-line health-care workers — analyzed nationwide admissions data. Our analysis revealed that hospital admissions for major respiratory illnesses dropped sharply in the year following the start of the first lockdown.

Specifically, flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a severe lung disease related to long-term smoking, and community-acquired non-COVID-19 pneumonia decreased by nearly 40 per cent across Canada following the implementation of NPIs like masking and physical distancing.

Read more at The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/should-public-health-measures-like-masking-continue-beyond-the-pandemic-data-on-viral-infections-shows-their-benefits-177238

Image Credits:
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes