INTRODUCTION
fits, infection, comorbidity
INFECTION, EVENT, CHRONIC DISEASES
There is significant evidence that national emergencies, such as natural disasters or pandemics, result in long-lasting health consequences, including increased mortality months after the initial event.The COVID-19 pandemic affects older individuals with at least one comorbidity in three different ways:
the infection is more severe in this population leading to more hospitalisationsthe changes induced by the pandemic and its prevention may increase the prevalence of comorbidities, such as mental health conditions;the impact of national emergencies is the interruption in service provision,As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian government implemented a series of policies to reduce the risk of widespread infection. Starting on 2 March 2020, the policies included stay-at-home recommendations, where possible, for persons at high risk of poor outcomes if they were to contract COVID-19. To prevent disruptions, the Australian government also implemented a national health plan to maintain access to health services during the pandemic, including options for many medical attendances to be provided by video or telehealth, where appropriate. Video and telehealth Medicare items were available for persons who were at risk of healthcare harms as a result of COVID-19 and in quarantine from 13 March 2020.How this fits inGiven the importance of continuous care provision for patients with chronic diseases, it is the responsibility of public-health professionals to plan and promote strategies to ensure that the needs of patients and caregivers are addressed.In this article, a real-world, large-scale intervention implemented as a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic is described; in addition, the efficacy of delivering the intervention directly to health-provider software digitally, compared with the standard postal delivery, in order to promote visits to the primary care provider, is evaluated.