Pediatric Dog Bite Injury Trends During the COVID-19 Pandemic

To examine differences between dog bite injuries among below 18-year-old patients seen in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to those seen before the pandemic.

This is a subanalysis of a cross-sectional study of injured children below 18 years old seen in 40 PEDs, from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2020. Patients studied had an ICD-10 code for dog bite (W54.0XXA). Cases before the pandemic (March 17, 2019, to December 31, 2019) were compared with cases during the pandemic (March 15, 2020, to December 31, 2020).

In total, 3891 dog bites occurred during the pandemic, and 3696 occurred before the pandemic. The proportion of dog bites to all injuries was greater during the pandemic than before (1.6% vs. 1.1%, P < 0.001). Children aged 5 to 9 years represented a higher proportion of cases during the pandemic than before (36.3% vs. 33.0%, P <0.05). More dog bites occurred during daytime hours (8:00 am to 4 pm ) during the pandemic (26.1% vs. 24.3%, P <0.05). During the pandemic, the admission rate for dog bites was higher (12.9% vs. 11.4%, P <0.05). More injuries to the head, face, or neck occurred during the pandemic than before (62.8% vs. 58.3%, P < 0.01).

Pediatric dog bites accounted for a significantly higher number and proportion of injuries seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders may have had some influence on pediatric dog bite demographics, as evidenced by more bites occurring from 8 am to 4 pm and more school-aged children 5 to 9 years old sustaining dog bites. Location of body parts injured and increased admissions suggest more severe injuries occurred during the pandemic.