Fewer Asthma Attacks During COVID Pandemic
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Philadelphia and its surrounding counties issued a series of “stay-at-home” orders in March of 2020 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. In the months that followed, doctors from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) saw a marked decrease in healthcare visits for both outpatient and hospitalized asthma patients.
David Hill, MD, PhD, attending physician with the Division of Allergy and Immunology at CHOP, says he was surprised by the findings. "We saw fewer asthma events overall, severe and non-severe." Dr. Hill believes masking and social distancing procedures are to thank.
"It could be the masking and the social distancing procedures that we're implementing for COVID were also helpful in limiting rhinovirus infections,” said Dr. Hill. “I think that's likely. It could be due to the shutdown of schools and public spaces. It could just be the enhanced hygiene procedures that all of us were doing."
Read more about his findings in this HealthDay article.