“The number of trauma cases we are seeing now are down some 10-12 percent from last year,” said Jeffrey Kerby, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Acute Care Surgery in the UAB Department of Surgery, part of the School of Medicine.
Kerby says that, at some trauma centers around the nation, falls, particularly falls by the elderly, make up about 80 percent of their patient visits.
“People are driving less but walking more, so it’s not surprising to see a drop in vehicle crashes while pedestrian injuries hold steady,” Kerby said.
“It is discouraging to see the numbers of patients from violence increase, especially as we continue to cope with the pandemic and people remain tense and on edge,” Kerby said.
Kerby says he did not expect Americans to celebrate National Trauma Awareness Month.
