Medical resource usage for COVID-19 evaluated using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan

TL;DR

This study analyzed how medical resources were used during different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, focusing on age-related patterns and resource strain.

Contribution

The study provides insights into how different pandemic waves affected medical resource usage across age groups in Japan.

Findings

The Delta strain wave in August 2021 had the strongest impact on working-age populations through hospital admissions and respiratory support.

The subsequent wave involved more older adults but fewer intensive care cases.

The August 2021 wave exemplified a medical resource shortage scenario due to severe patient influx.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exhibited several different waves threatening global health care. During this pandemic, medical resources were depleted. However, the kind of medical resources provided to each wave was not clarified. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of medical care provision at COVID-19 peaks in preparation for the next pandemic.

Using medical insurance claim records in Japan, we examined the presence or absence of COVID-19 infection and the use of medical resources for all patients monthly by age group.

The wave around August 2021 with the Delta strain had the strongest impact on the working population in terms of hospital admission and respiratory support. For healthcare providers, this peak had the highest frequency of severely ill patients. In the subsequent wave, although the number of patients with COVID-19 remained high, they were predominantly older adults, with relatively fewer patients receiving intensive care.

In future pandemics, we should refer to the wave around August 2021 as a situation of medical resource shortage resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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