What do victims of firearms and bicycle accidents have in common? Their numbers have increased dramatically in the United States during the current pandemic in general and, in particular, during periods of lockdown. This is the result of a retrospective analysis bringing together 27,652 cases recorded from 2019 to 2020 in four American trauma centers – in California, Oregon, Florida and Oklahoma.
Revealed on October 23 at the Congress of the American College of Surgery, this study shows that injuries related to bicycle accidents increased by 100% during confinement, while gun injuries increased by 23.5 %. At the same time and without too much surprise, it is the traumas linked to car accidents that have significantly decreased, by around 12.7%.
Local disparities
The researchers behind the sightings admit to being the first to be amazed at the rise in gunshot wounds. As summarized by Cristobal Barrios Jr., surgeon at Orange County University Hospital (California), “We expected an increase in the proportion of gunshot wounds compared to road trauma […] but we were rather surprised to find that not only was that proportion increasing, but the absolute number of gunshot wounds had also increased. This can be seen in all the trauma centers that provided data ”.
As usual, the averages hide strong local disparities. Thus, in the region where Barrios officiates, gunshot wounds have increased by 55%, while road accidents have fallen by 10.2% and bicycle injuries have increased by 30.8%. In Portland, these figures are 48.4%, 21.5% and 296.2%, respectively. The least notable development concerns Miami, with “only” 20.9% increase in gunshot wounds, 14.5% decrease in car crashes and 2.6% increase in bicycle accidents.
Over the same period, the market research firm NPD Group estimated the increase in bicycle sales at 63%. By the end of 2020, the firearms trade had exceeded 90% growth according to industry specialists.
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