Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Reported Lyme Disease, United States, 2020

Abstract

Surveys indicate US residents spent more time outdoors in 2020 than in 2019, but fewer tick bite–related emergency department visits and Lyme disease laboratory tests were reported. Despite ongoing exposure, Lyme disease case reporting for 2020 might be artificially reduced due to coronavirus disease–associated changes in healthcare-seeking behavior.

Keywords

• Lyme disease
• tickborne diseases
• vector-borne infections
• surveillance
• healthcare-seeking behavior
• respiratory infections