Paradoxically, some urgent care centers are struggling due to low patient volumes during the COVID-19 crisis; patients who aren’t feeling that bad are afraid to venture out to a healthcare facility, while others who fear they could have the virus are heading to the hospital (hopefully, after calling first as recommended). Some operators have chosen to close for a while or consolidate locations.
On the other hand, urgent care operators in urban, heavily affected areas like New York City are slammed with symptomatic patients and those who may not be symptomatic but are concerned because they’ve been exposed.
Either way, the pandemic is having a serious affect on day-to-day operations at urgent care centers across the country. The Urgent Care Association took a snapshot-like survey to quantify what that means to the industry as a whole; see the graph below for some interesting insights. (Bear in mind that the situation at a given urgent care center can change from day to day; these data represent the landscape on just one such day.)
