Dual Disaster Dynamics: Assessing the Influence of COVID-19 on Emergency Incident Patterns

Introduction: Pandemics, unlike other disasters, extend over prolonged periods, requiring continuous responses from both public and private sectors. The term “dual disaster” describes the occurrence of a pandemic alongside other emergencies. However, little research has explored how COVID-19 impacted non-pandemic emergencies. Methods: This study analyzed emergency data from Taiwan’s Emergency Medical Resources Management System (EMRMS) between 2018 and 2023. EMRMS is a web-based platform where hospitals report details such as date, age, sex, transport mode, triage level, disposition, and diagnosis during emergencies. We examined COVID-19-related policies from 2020 to 2023, categorizing them into four phases: Imported COVID (IC), Regional Epidemic (RE), Regulatory Relaxation (RR), and Extensive Community Transmission (ERT). Pre-pandemic data served as the non-COVID (NC) baseline. To compare emergency trends, annualized emergency rates were calculated for each phase, and casualty data, including triage levels, ICU needs, and mortality, were reviewed. Results: A total of 734 emergencies involving 6,734 casualties were reported. The annualized emergency incidences were 172.8 (NC), 154.8 (IC), 85.9 (RE), 78.2 (RR), and 105.2 (ERT). Emergencies declined during the pandemic phases, though the proportion of patients transported by EMS remained stable. However, casualty severity increased, with more ICU admissions, surgeries, and deaths observed. Conclusion: COVID-19 shifted emergency patterns, reducing incidence but increasing severity. Infection control and crowd management lowered emergency numbers, but resource-limited periods heightened the burden on healthcare systems. Preparedness for severe emergencies remains critical in dual disaster scenarios.