Effect of government-issued state of emergency and reopening orders on cardiovascular hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Little is known about the effect of government-issued State of Emergency (SOE) and Reopening orders on health care behaviors. We aimed to determine the effect of SOE and Phase 1 of Reopening orders on hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: Hospitalizations for AMI and ADHF in the UNC Health system, which includes 10 hospitals in both urban and rural counties, were identified. An interrupted time series design was used to compare weekly hospitalization rates for eight weeks before the March 10 SOE declaration, eight weeks between the SOE order and Phase 1 of Reopening order, and the subsequent eight weeks.

Results: Overall, 3,792 hospitalizations for AMI and 7,223 for ADHF were identified. Rates before March 10 were stable. AMI/ADHF hospitalizations declined about 6% per week in both urban and rural hospitals from March 11 to May 5. Larger declines in hospitalizations were seen in adults ≥65 years old (-8% per week), women (-7% per week), and White individuals (-6% per week). After the Reopening order, AMI/ADHF hospitalizations increased by 8% per week in urban centers and 9% per week in rural centers, including a significant increase in each demographic group. The decline and rebound in acute CV hospitalizations were most pronounced in the two weeks following the government orders.

Conclusions: AMI and ADHF hospitalization rates closely correlated to SOE and Reopening orders. These data highlight the impact of public health measures on individuals seeking care for essential services; future policies may benefit from clarity regarding when individuals should present for care.