Comparative Study

. 2021 Jun;27(6):852-856.

doi: 10.1016/j.jiac.2021.02.001. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

A comparison on the percentage of polymerase chain reaction positivity for SARS-CoV-2 between Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-in patients: A single center retrospective analysis in Tokyo

Affiliations

¹ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, 181-8611, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: mikioh@ks.kyorin-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yamamoto@medicalmac.com.
³ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: fbi007x@hotmail.com.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yuuko_yamauchi@tmhp.jp.
⁵ Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: kazu-y@nms.ac.jp.
⁶ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hdmg2004@gmail.com.
⁷ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hideaki_gotou@tmhp.jp.
⁸ Department of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, 181-8611, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: gaius@ks.kyorin-u.ac.jp.
⁹ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: takafumi_ide@tmhp.jp.
¹⁰ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yo_maeda@tmhp.jp.
¹¹ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yasuhito_tajiri@tmhp.jp.

PMID: 33593668
PMCID: PMC7862890
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2021.02.001

Comparative Study

A comparison on the percentage of polymerase chain reaction positivity for SARS-CoV-2 between Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-in patients: A single center retrospective analysis in Tokyo

Mikio Nakajima et al. J Infect Chemother. 2021 Jun.

. 2021 Jun;27(6):852-856.

doi: 10.1016/j.jiac.2021.02.001. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, 181-8611, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: mikioh@ks.kyorin-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yamamoto@medicalmac.com.
³ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: fbi007x@hotmail.com.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yuuko_yamauchi@tmhp.jp.
⁵ Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: kazu-y@nms.ac.jp.
⁶ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hdmg2004@gmail.com.
⁷ Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hideaki_gotou@tmhp.jp.
⁸ Department of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, 181-8611, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: gaius@ks.kyorin-u.ac.jp.
⁹ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: takafumi_ide@tmhp.jp.
¹⁰ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yo_maeda@tmhp.jp.
¹¹ Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, 2-34-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, 150-0013, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: yasuhito_tajiri@tmhp.jp.

PMID: 33593668
PMCID: PMC7862890
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2021.02.001

Abstract

Introduction: The Public Health Center (PHC)-known as hokenjo in Japan-assume a crucial role in disease control. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of many designated infectious diseases monitored by the agency. During the present pandemic, patients who suspected COVID-19 were instructed to call the Coronavirus Consultation Center in the PHC prior to visiting the hospital. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differences in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity between PHC referrals and direct walk-in patients.

Methods: The present was a single-center, retrospective cohort study conducted at the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital from March to September, 2020. Patients who received a PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 were included and categorized into the PHC referral or direct walk-in groups. The outcomes included the total number of patients undergoing PCR tests and the percentage of PCR positivity in each group.

Results: We identified 1680 patients (781 PHC referred and 899 direct walk-in groups). The percentage of PCR positivity did not significantly differ between the PHC referral and direct walk-in groups during the first wave (30.5% vs. 29.2%; p = 0.78). PCR positivity was significantly higher in the PHC referral group than the direct walk-in group during the second wave (30.1% vs. 23.1%; p = 0.051) and entire study period (30.2% vs. 24.7%; p = 0.011).

Conclusions: Despite health authority recommendations, the number of direct walk-in patients were higher than PHC referral patients. The percentage of PCR positivity was significantly higher in the PHC referral group than in the direct walk-in group.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health center; PCR; Public health center; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest None.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Patient flow. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.

**Fig. 2**
Daily trends on the total number of patients who received a PCR test. Moving average of 7 days (including the 3 days before and after the index date) applied. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.

**Fig. 3**
Percentage of PCR positivity for Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-ins. Moving average of 7 days (including the 3 days before and after the index date) applied. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.

**Fig. 4**
Daily trends of the total number of Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-ins visiting the COVID-ER Moving average of 7 days (including the 3-days before and after the index date) applied.COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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A comparison on the percentage of polymerase chain reaction positivity for SARS-CoV-2 between Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-in patients: A single center retrospective analysis in Tokyo

Affiliations

A comparison on the percentage of polymerase chain reaction positivity for SARS-CoV-2 between Public Health Center referrals and direct walk-in patients: A single center retrospective analysis in Tokyo

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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