Evolution of emergency medical calls during a pandemic – An emergency medical service during the COVID-19 outbreak

Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are expected to be affected by a pandemic outbreak. However, the available data about trends and extents of these effects is limited. Methods: We analyzed numbers of ambulance calls for all 136 diagnosis codes used by Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national EMS during 121 days between January 01 and April 30, 2020. Results: There was an increase in calls for COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, throat pain). This trend followed the same shape as the curve for confirmed COVID-19 patients. Trends were found to increase for calls not followed by transport to the hospital as well as in calls for mental or psychiatric causes. Simultaneously, there was a decrease in calls for cardiovascular issues, pneumonia, and all injuries. Conclusion: Understanding these correlations may allow better preparedness of the EMS and a better response towards the public needs in the period of an epidemic or a pandemic.