Around the globe, countries are looking to identify when they have passed or reached peak COVID-19 outbreak to help determine when to lift social distancing restrictions and reopen their economies. The latest results from the Sermo COVID-19 Real Time Barometer of over 5,900 global physicians found that as of April 23, physicians in Korea (95%), Spain (92%), China (91%), Italy (89%), Belgium (88%), France (86%) and Greece (84%) believe their countries have passed or reached outbreak peak.
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(Graphic: Business Wire)
This is a stark comparison to the United States, where only 52% (April 23) of physicians believe the country has passed or reached its outbreak peak. Interestingly, when asked the same question on April 2, 66% of U.S. physicians believed that the country was only three to four weeks from reaching or passing outbreak peak.
Peak Timing by Region
While an increasing percentage of physicians in previously-reported “hot zones” including New York (85%), New Jersey (72%) and Michigan (70%) believe their states have reached or passed outbreak peak, physicians in many states across the U.S. are still predicting more time is needed. Only 53% of physicians in California, 45% in Pennsylvania, 42% in Texas, 40% in Georgia and 37% in Arizona believe their states have passed or reached peak as of April 23.
Recommend Restriction Lifting
Globally, physicians remain conservative in terms of when they recommend restrictions should be lifted. Sermo found that as of April 23, only 19% of physicians in Korea, 34% in Spain, 41% in China, 37% in Italy, 52% in Belgium, 18% in France and 52% in Greece recommend restrictions be lifted within the next two weeks. This tracks with sentiment among physicians in the U.S. where only 27% recommend lifting restrictions in the next two weeks, 66% in three to eight plus weeks and 7% are unsure of when restrictions should be lifted.
“Sermo’s latest findings represent the voice of physicians around the COVID-19 outbreak peak. Physicians have frontline views on timing to lift restrictions; the ability to amplify the voices of physicians globally provides a unique opportunity for healthcare providers and policymakers in the U.S. to learn from other countries,” said Peter Kirk, CEO, Sermo. “Our hope is that the insights and recommendations of physicians globally at the local level can play an important role in helping the U.S. make informed decisions as we look to reopen the economy and determine best practices for easing safer at home orders.”
In total, Sermo’s COVID-19 Real Time Barometer observational study has polled over 20,000 physicians in 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Russia, China, Japan and Australia. All data published to date and study methodology can be found here.
About Sermo
Sermo is the largest healthcare data collection company and social platform for physicians, reaching 1,3MM HCPs across 150 countries. The platform enables doctors to anonymously talk real-world medicine, review treatment options via our proprietary Drug Ratings platform, collectively solve patient cases, and participate in medical market research. For more information, visit sermo.com.
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