Increases in Ambulance Call Volume Are an Early Warning Sign of Major COVID-19 Surges in Children

Calvin Lukas Kienbacher, Joshua Ray Tanzer, Guixing Wei, Jason M. Rhodes, Dominik Roth () and Kenneth Alan Williams
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Calvin Lukas Kienbacher: Division of Emergency Medical Services, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Joshua Ray Tanzer: Lifespan Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Core, 130 Plain Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Guixing Wei: Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4), Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC), Brown University, 68 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jason M. Rhodes: Center for Emergency Medical Services, Rhode Island Department of Health, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908, USA
Dominik Roth: Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Kenneth Alan Williams: Division of Emergency Medical Services, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Infectious diseases, including COVID-19, have a severe impact on child health globally. We investigated whether emergency medical service (EMS) calls are a bellwether for future COVID-19 caseloads. We elaborated on geographical hotspots and socioeconomic risk factors. Methods: All EMS calls for suspected infectious disease in the pediatric population (under 18 years of age) in Rhode Island between 1 March 2018 and 28 February 2022 were included in this quasi-experimental ecological study. The first of March 2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the 2020 census tract and the most recent COVID-19 data. We investigated associations between pediatric EMS calls and positive COVID-19 tests with time series analysis and identified geographical clusters using local indicators of spatial association. Economic risk factors were examined using Poisson regression. Results: We included 980 pediatric ambulance calls. Calls during the omicron wave were significantly associated with increases in positive COVID-19 tests one week later ( p < 0.001). Lower median household income (IRR 0.99, 95% CI [0.99, 0.99]; p < 0.001) and a higher child poverty rate (IRR 1.02, 95% CI [1.02, 1.02]; p < 0.001) were associated with increased EMS calls. Neighborhood hotspots changed over time. Conclusion: Ambulance calls might be a predictor for major surges of COVID-19 in children.

Keywords: COVID-19; public health; emergency medical service (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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