Comparative Analysis of 119 Ambulance Services Before and After the Outbreak of COVID-19

Abstract

This study analyzed the changes in emergency ambulance call volume and emergency ambulance time (interval) in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. The analysis revealed that the ambulance call volume to 119 (South Korea's emergency telephone number) decreased by 53,300 from 694,238 in the one-year period of January 20, 2019–January 19, 2020 to 640,938 in January 20, 2020–January 19, 2021. Similarly, the daily average 119 ambulance call volume also decreased from 1,893.8 to 1,761.7 in the same one-year period before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Ambulance time from activation to return recorded a statistically significant increase of 6.84 min from 49.12 min to 55.96 min on average, with a median of 3 min from 39 min to 42 min, for the one-year period before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Amid the continued spread of COVID-19 and the high probability of recurrence of a similar pandemic in the future, future research should distinguish between emergency response to accidents and infectious diseases. In addition, by reflecting the regional characteristics and household income characteristics based on the metropolitan or city, county, and other government units, an effective 119 ambulance service system can be established—one that can respond to the occurrence and continuous spread of infectious diseases.