COVID-19 led to more alcohol and drug illnesses in 2020, hospital data shows

The coronavirus brought with it another problem last year: 3.6% more Virginians were admitted into hospitals for alcohol and drug-related illnesses, according to new statewide data.

While the number of patients with other conditions declined during the pandemic and never rebounded, substance use disorders — and mental illness caused by drugs — were the only major diagnostic category that climbed in 2020 that wasn’t directly related to COVID-19, according to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

The hospital association tracked 15,209 patient discharges related to alcohol and drugs last year, up from 14,684 in 2019.

The data, collected from 91 hospitals, followed a report by the group in October that analyzed hospital trends throughout the state from January to June. The association now has numbers for the entire year.

Of the 30,500 coronavirus hospitalizations in the state, the average patient was found to be 67 years old and stayed 10 days. More than three out of every four had high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease.

For 12% of the COVID-19 patients, their hospital stay ended not with a discharge home or rehab — but death.

The rise in substance-related hospital patients supports what social workers and therapists have speculated for many months — that lockdown restrictions, job changes, isolation and the lives lost to the coronavirus have taken their toll on mental health. People are more vulnerable to addictions as they try to cope with depression, anxiety and the other psychological effects of the public health crisis.

The trend is “definitely the most concerning,” said David Vaamonde, the association’s vice president of data analytics, during a briefing Wednesday. The group intends to do more research to drill down on the issue.

Meanwhile, categories some speculated might actually increase from the pandemic — like obstetric and neonatal patients — didn’t get a boost after all. The quarantine baby boom theory seems to have been busted, with Virginia hospitals reporting newborn patient volume down about 3.8% compared with 2019.

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There also were some 3,200 fewer pregnant and childbirth-related patients last year compared with the prior year. Concerns about the infectious disease may have prompted some women to choose midwives and home births.

“We do know that the impact of COVID took some prospective mothers out of the acute care setting,” Vaamonde said.

Overall, patient levels declined about 10% in 2020 compared with previous years, according to the association. And some drops that were thought to be temporary during the government-led suspension of elective surgeries never fully came back when restrictions were lifted.

Some of the patients who didn’t return to pre-coronavirus rates later in the year included those with circulatory; digestive; ear, nose and throat; and female reproductive diseases.

Emergency room visits also never fully returned to the status quo. With voluntary reporting from 81 hospitals, the association found patients were down about 30% from previous years.

To speak to trained counselors about anxiety or stress related to COVID-19, Virginia residents can call or text VA COPES, at 877-349-6428. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Spanish-speaking counselors are available.

Elisha Sauers, 757-839-4754, elisha.sauers@pilotonline.com