Pediatric poison exposures reported to United States poison centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in poison exposure patterns among youth <20 years old, resulting in a decrease in the number of exposures reported to US PCs during the first pandemic year. Exposure patterns changed with progression from the initial months of the pandemic to later months and varied by age group and reason for exposure. Unintentional poison exposures associated with exploratory behavior among children <6 years demonstrated an increase during the initial first two months of the pandemic before decreasing. Understanding these patterns will help guide an appropriate response to similar future public health events.