Impact of COVID-19 on TB management in an East London Hospital

<bold>Background:</bold> The WHO estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to a disruption of Tuberculosis services resulting in treatment interruptions and impact on transmission rates. We reviewed TB cases diagnosed between 1st March and 31st July 2020 comparing them to TB controls from the same period in 2019 to assess whether COVID-19 impacted on TB services. <bold>Methods:</bold> All cases of TB diagnosed at our institution between 1st March and 31st July 2020 identified from the London TB Register (LTBR) were included. Demographic data extracted of TB cases in 2020 were compared to TB controls from the same period in 2019. Data analysis was performed in STATA. <bold>Results:</bold> Between 1st March and 31st July 2019, 43 individuals diagnosed with active TB at our institution (37% Pulmonary) were compared to 99 individuals in 2020 (43% Pulmonary). There were 6 cases of drug-resistant TB in 2019 and 4 in 2020. 24 (55%) cases were male in 2019 compared to 68 (69%) in 2020. The mean age was 32 years in 2019 and 33 years in 2020. The average number of days between first review by a healthcare professional (HCP) to commencing ATT was 81.1 days in 2019 and 90.1 days in 2020 (p=0.11). The average length of hospital stay was not significantly different for those admitted in 2019 versus 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic lead to an increase of mean virtual clinic appointments per patient during lockdown measures (0.5 in 2020 vs 0.07 in 2019). The mean number of all clinical appointments per patient was significantly lower during lockdown. (p=<0.001) <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Although the mean number of appointments per patient was significantly lower during lockdown, time to initiation of treatment after first being seen by a HCP was not significantly altered during the pandemic