Background The unprecedented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused millions of infections worldwide and represents a significant challenge facing modern health care systems. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of lockdown measures in a tertiary Children’s Hospital in southwest China, which might be used to predict long-term effects related to health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers. Methods This study included newborns enrolled over a span of 86 weeks between January 4, 2019, and August 27, 2020. We designated two time periods for analysis purposes: a stable pre-COVID period(55 weeks between January 4, 2019, and January 23, 2020) and a COVID-impacted period (31 weeks between January 24, 2020, and August 27, 2020). An interrupted time-series analysis was employed to compare changes and trends in hospital admissions and disease spectra before and after the period of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Furthermore, this study was conducted to evaluate whether the health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers was influenced by pandemic factors. Results Overall, 16,640 infants were admitted to the neonatology department during the pre-COVID period (n = 12,082) and the COVID-impacted period (n = 4,558). The per week neonatal admissions consistently decreased following the first days of NPIs (January 24, 2020). The average weekly admission rates of 220/week pre-COVID period and 147/week COVID-impacted period. There was an evident decrease in the volume of admissions for all disease spectra after the intervention, whereas the decrease of patients complaining about pathological jaundice-related conditions was statistically significant (p<0.05). In the COVID-impacted period, the percentage of patients who suffered from respiratory system diseases, neonatal encephalopathy, and infectious diseases decreased, while the percentage of pathological jaundice-related conditions and gastrointestinal system diseases increased. The neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) increased by 8.7% during the COVID-impacted period compared with the pre-COVID period. Conclusions In summary, there was a significant decline in neonatal admissions in a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the associated NPIs. Additionally, this situation had a remarkable impact on disease spectra and health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers. We, therefore, advise continuing follow-ups and monitoring the main health indicators in vulnerable populations affected by this Pandemic over time.

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Prophylaxis of brain injury in newborns has been a main concern since the first neonatal neuronal intensive care unit (NNICU) was established in the world in 2008. The aim of this study was to outline and evaluate the unit’s development by analyzing the demographics of the patients, the services delivered, the short-term outcomes before and after the establishment of NNICU. During the two investigation periods, 384 newborns were diagnosed or suspected as “neonatal encephalopathy”, among which 185 patients admitted to NNICU between 2011.03.01 and 2012.09.30 before the establishment of NNICU were enrolled in the pre-NNICU group, another 199 neonates hospitalized during 2018.03.01 to 2019.09.30 were included in the post-NNICU group. Patients in the post-NNICU group were more likely to have seizures (P = 0.001), incomplete or absent primitive reflexes (P = 0.002), therapeutic hypothermia (P<0.001) and liquid control (P<0.001) in acute phase. Meanwhile, amplitude-integrated electro encephalogram (aEEG) monitoring (P<0.001) and cranial ultrasound (P<0.001) were more often used in NNICU. Both of the follow-up rate in brain MRI and the assessment of neurodevelopment at 3 months were higher in the post-NNICU group (P<0.001). In conclusion, the NNICU focused on the neonatal neurocritical care for the babies susceptible to NE with the guidance of evidence-based medicine, the establishment of NNICU is gradually improving and standardizing the neuroprotective therapy and clinical follow-up to improve neurodevelopmental prognosis of the NE patients in CHCMU.