The impact of COVID-19 on hospital admissions and emergency department visits: A population-based study.
Elissa Rennert-MayJenine LealNguyen Xuan ThanhEddy LangShawn DowlingBraden MannsTracy WasylakPaul E RonksleyPublished in: PloS one (2021)
Despite a relatively low volume of COVID-19 hospital admissions in Alberta, there was an extensive impact on our healthcare system with fewer admissions to hospital and ED visits. This work generates hypotheses around causes for reduced hospital admissions and ED visits which warrant further investigation. As most publicly funded health systems struggle with health-system capacity routinely, understanding how these reductions can be safely sustained will be critical.