Half of people with COVID-19 symptoms leaving emergency departments did not self-isolate as instructed
Almost half of people with COVID-19–like symptoms who were awaiting test results did not self-isolate as instructed.
“Despite a relatively strong understanding of self-isolation rules, we found that only 56% of patients discharged from Metro Vancouver emergency departments actually adhered to those rules,” said EM Network member and senior author Andrew Kestler. The study was published as a letter to the editor in the October 2021 issue of CJEM.
Dr. Lulu Yang, lead author and EM Network says the results show how challenging self-isolation can be even though it’s an important tool in controlling the pandemic.
“… self-isolation is difficult, and its success requires that individuals isolating have an established social support network and financial resources to meet their needs during the isolation period.” said Dr. Yang.
Study co-authors include EM Network members Devon Mitchell, Kerry Spearing, Gary Andolfatto, Eric Grafstein, Frank Scheuermeyer and Andrew Kestler. More information is available from the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS).
