Discussion
We found a significant reduction in all emergency presentations to our
unit during 1st lock down compared to a similar pre
-covid period.
It is possible that social distancing measures introduced in
1st lockdown led to this observed reduction in
infections presenting to ENT. However, the mechanism that led to the
observed reduction in the non-infectious group is less clear. It is
possible that fear of hospital presentation, lack of primary care
interface and avoidance of hospital environment lead to cases being
managed outside the hospital environment1.