@Article{info:doi/10.2196/18811,
author="Khairat, Saif
and Meng, Chenlu
and Xu, Yuxuan
and Edson, Barbara
and Gianforcaro, Robert",
title="Interpreting COVID-19 and Virtual Care Trends: Cohort Study",
journal="JMIR Public Health Surveill",
year="2020",
month="Apr",
day="15",
volume="6",
number="2",
pages="e18811",
keywords="virtual care; COVID-19; trends; patterns; pandemic; outbreak; infectious disease; public health",
abstract="Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly spreading across the world. As of March 26, 2020, there are more than 500,000 cases and more than 25,000 deaths related to COVID-19, and the numbers are increasing by the hour. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the trends in confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, and to understand patterns in virtual visits related to symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a cohort study of confirmed COVID-19 cases and patients using an on-demand, statewide virtual urgent care center. We collected data from February 1, 2020, to March 15, 2020. Institutional Review Board exemption was obtained prior to the study. Results: As of March, 18 2020, there were 92 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 733 total virtual visits. Of the total visits, 257 (35.1{\%}) were related to COVID-19-like symptoms. Of the COVID-19-like visits, the number of females was 178 (69.2{\%}). People in the age groups of 30-39 years (n=67, 26.1{\%}) and 40-49 years (n=64, 24.9{\%}) were half of the total patients. Additionally, approximately 96.9{\%} (n=249) of the COVID-like encounters came from within the state of North Carolina. Our study shows that virtual care can provide efficient triaging in the counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. We also confirmed that the largest spread of the disease occurs in areas with a high population density as well as in areas with major airports. Conclusions: The use of virtual care presents promising potential in the fight against COVID-19. Virtual care is capable of reducing emergency room visits, conserving health care resources, and avoiding the spread of COVID-19 by treating patients remotely. We call for further adoption of virtual care by health systems across the United States and the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. ",
issn="2369-2960",
doi="10.2196/18811",
url="http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e18811/",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/18811",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32252023"
}