Impact of COVID-19 on Divers: Return to Diving and Vaccination Study Results
Explore the preliminary findings of the DRACO study on divers who returned to diving after contracting COVID-19. Discover the challenges faced, including pulmonary, neurological, ENT, and psychological issues, as well as vaccination outcomes. Recommendations for safe diving post-COVID-19 are provided.
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DAN looks at longitudinal return to diving and vaccination results from divers with COVID-19 infection F Tillmans1, E Helfrich1, M Nochetto1, C Saraiva1, P Lindholm2, J Chimiak1 Background Since the declaration of the pandemic in early 2020, the pulmonary effects of COVID-19 have been the center of attention, causing great concern among the general public. Divers soon realized that those who contracted the disease might see their pulmonary fitness to dive affected. In their search for an answer, divers from all over the world have been contacting DAN to express their concern about returning to dive after COVID-19. To look at impacts on infected divers, Divers Alert Network created the five-year Diver Return After COVID-19 (DRACO) study. From the first year of data, we will discuss preliminary return to diving and vaccination results. Methods DRACO is an observational, survey-based study housed on Momentive (SurveyMonkey). Participants enrolled in DRACO by completing an initial survey covering details of their medical history, infection, current return to diving status, and fitness to dive exam. Participants also receive follow up surveys that ask for updated return to dive and fitness to dive information and vaccination results.
DAN looks at longitudinal return to diving and vaccination results from divers with COVID-19 infection F Tillmans1, E Helfrich1, M Nochetto1, C Saraiva1, P Lindholm2, J Chimiak1 Results From the 1,289 divers enrolled in DRACO, 834 divers indicated they returned to diving. 114 (14%) of these divers had issues on return to diving, with 17 divers reporting issues with two or more body systems. 75 divers (66%) reported pulmonary issues, 27 (24%) reported neurological issues, 19 (17%) reported ENT issues, five (4%) reported psychological issues, and five (4%) reported DCI-related issues. 110 (96%) divers reported moderate cases of COVID-19 and four (4%) reported severe cases of COVID-19. Of the 297 divers that completed the 1-year questionnaire, 277 (93%) reported they had received a partial or complete COVID-19 vaccination. 276 divers had no residual effects from the vaccine, 1 reported new onset anxiety. Of the 277 divers who received the vaccine, 25 initially reported an asymptomatic infection, 231 a moderate infection, and 21 a severe infection. Conclusions While many divers returned to diving with no issues, there is a population who experienced several symptoms on return to diving. Before return to diving, divers should have a fitness to dive examination to evaluate potential residual symptoms of COVID-19 and on return to diving, divers should dive conservative profiles with a buddy to help mitigate any issues.
DAN looks at longitudinal return to diving and vaccination results from divers with COVID-19 infection F Tillmans1, E Helfrich1, M Nochetto1, C Saraiva1, P Lindholm2, J Chimiak1 Table 2: Issues While Diving Issues while Diving Number of divers Percent of participants who have returned to diving (n=834) Individual divers reporting pulmonary issues 75 9% Shortness of breath 49 6% Coughing or wheezing 14 2% Increased air consumption 22 3% Other pulmonary issues 7 1% Fatigue 27 3% Ears, Nose, Throat issues 19 2% Decompression Sickness 4 0.5% Arterial Gas Embolism 1 0.1% Total divers reporting issues on RTD* 114 14% *several divers reported more than one issue on RTD
DAN looks at longitudinal return to diving and vaccination results from divers with COVID-19 infection F Tillmans1, E Helfrich1, M Nochetto1, C Saraiva1, P Lindholm2, J Chimiak1 Table 3: Vaccination Results Reported COVID-19 Vaccination Status (n=297) Number of participants Percent of participants Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 277 93% Refusing COVID-19 vaccination 20 7% COVID-19 Vaccination Side Effects (n=277) Number of participants Percent of participants Reporting no vaccination side effects 123 44% Reporting short-term vaccination side effects 153 55% Reporting long-term vaccination side effects 1 0.4%
DAN looks at longitudinal return to diving and vaccination results from divers with COVID-19 infection F Tillmans1, E Helfrich1, M Nochetto1, C Saraiva1, P Lindholm2, J Chimiak1 AFFILIATIONS: 1 Divers Alert Network, Durham, North Carolina, USA 2 Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA FUNDING: The study is entirely funded through Divers Alert Network. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None declared.
