Medium and Longer Term Impacts of COVID-19
COVID-19 will continue to affect our populations in the medium and longer term. We will assess and model these impacts including wider, indirect impacts of COVID-19, on healthcare and our populations. We plan to explore four specific areas.
- Health service impact and knock on effect on health outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic:
What are the effects of the response to the outbreak on non-COVID-19 health service use/access such as postponement of planned surgical and medical treatment/ outpatient appointments, reduced routine population screening and childhood vaccinations, especially in those with obesity and physical and mental health conditions? What has been the impact of these changes in access and use of services on health outcomes?
- Mortality impact and knock on effect on health service use of the COVID-19 pandemic:
What is the medium term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall mortality and mortality from higher risk groups and what is the likely impact of this on medium term use of health services after the outbreak has diminished?
- Health and health service ongoing impact on survivors of COVID-19-related admissions:
What are the longer term health effects in those who were admitted for COVID and survived? Is there any residual health effect from the infection, the trauma of it (mental health) or adverse physical and mental health effects of intensive care or other management?
- Wider public health impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic:
What are the impacts of COVID-19 control measures and prioritisation of the COVID-19 response, on wider non-health areas including for example education, employment, debt and poverty, housing and addictive behaviours?