• Grant Christey, Janet Amey, Neerja Singh, Bronwyn Denize, and Alaina Campbell.
• Midland Trauma System, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton; Waikato Clinical School, University of Auckland; Waikato Hospital Trauma Service, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton.
• N. Z. Med. J. 2021 Mar 26; 134 (1531): 50-58.

AimTo assess the effects of the community lockdown phases on trauma-related admissions to Midland region hospitals over the period 15 February to 10 July 2020, and to compare volume variation with the same period in the previous three years.MethodsA retrospective, descriptive study of prospectively collected data from the Midland Trauma Registry in New Zealand.ResultsThere was a 36.7% (p<.00001) reduction in injury admissions during Alert Level 4 ('Lockdown') compared with the same period in 2017, 2018 and 2019. This was in the context of volume increases during the pre-lockdown period (17.8%, p<.00001) and a 'rebound' as restrictions eased. There was an increase in injuries occurring at home (28.3%, p<.00001) and on footpaths (37.9%, p=0.00076), while there was a decline in events on roads (33.0%, p=0.017), at schools (75.0%, p<.00001) and in sports areas (79.7%, p<.00001). Falls remained the dominant mechanism of injury in 2020, contributing 39.9% of all hospitalisations.ConclusionsThe reduction in hospital admissions during alert levels 4 and 3 was short lived, with a rebound evident when restrictions eased. Hospital resources have been strained because this rebound coincided with a planned 'catch up' on healthcare that was delayed during the higher community restriction levels.

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