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. 2021 Aug;27(8):2235-2236.
doi: 10.3201/eid2708.211107.

COVID-19 and the Consequences of Anchoring Bias

Harold W Horowitz, Caren Behar, Jeffrey Greene

COVID-19 and the Consequences of Anchoring Bias

Harold W Horowitz et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Suspicion of coronavirus disease in febrile patients might lead to anchoring bias, causing misdiagnosis of other infections for which epidemiologic risks are present. This bias has potentially severe consequences, illustrated by cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis and Lyme disease in a pregnant woman and human granulocytic anaplasmosis in another person.

Keywords: COVID-19; Lyme disease; SARS-CoV-2; anchoring bias; coronavirus disease; human granulocytic anaplasmosis; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; vector-borne infections; viruses; zoonoses.

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