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The aims of this study were to compare the incidence of occupational accidents during one-year periods of the COVID-19 Pandemic and before the COVID-19 Pandemic, and to determine in which sectors occupational accidents occurred and what types of injuries were sustained in the population of Tokat, Turkey. A retrospective review was made of the records of Tokat State Hospital of patients injured in occupational accidents between 12.03.2019 and 11.03.2021. The patients injured in occupational accidents were classified according to age, gender, sector, accident type, trauma localization and type, time of the accident, and outcome of the injuries. Of 608 patients injured in occupational accidents, 384 (63.2%) were injured in the period before the pandemic and 224 (36.8%) were injured in the period during the pandemic ( p  < 0.001). Most work-related injuries occurred in the industry sector (n = 287; 47.2%; p  < 0.001). Occupational accidents increased in the service sector ( p  < 0.001), but decreased in other sectors. The increase in occupational accidents in the health sector ( p  < 0.001) and transportation sector ( p  < 0.05) within the service sector caused a general increase despite the decrease in other service sectors ( p  > 0.05). In current study, the increase in the number of injuries in the transportation sector due to the increase of motor courier accidents, in health sector, and in pandemic quarantines were remarkable. It was evaluated that this narrow-scoped study pioneered comprehensive studies on the measures that can be taken to prevent occupational accidents in such pandemics in the future.

Izzet Ozgurluk,1 Burak Tastekin,2 Sila Yazkan Hira,2 Bulent Gungorer,3 Yavuz Hekimoglu,2 Huseyin Levent Keskin,1 Siddik Keskin,4 Mahmut Asirdizer5 1Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 2Clinic of Forensic Medicine, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 3Clinic of Emergency Medicine, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 4Department of Biostatistics, Medical School of Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey; 5Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Faculty of Bahçe&scedil;ehir University, Istanbul, TurkeyCorrespondence: Burak Tastekin, Clinic of Forensic Medicine, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, Tel +90 506 275 7085, Email burak.tastekin@saglik.gov.trPurpose: A significant increase in physical intimate partner violence (IPV) cases has been reported from many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly during lockdown periods. The current study’s objectives are to define the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on physical IPV against pregnant women in Ankara.Patients and Methods: During the one-year pre-pandemic and two-year pandemic, records of patients who sent by the judicial authorities to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Room (ER) at Ankara City Hospital were reviewed, and pregnant women who had been subjected to IPV were identified.Results: Of pregnant women 19.1% in the pre-pandemic period, 29.4% in the first year and 51.5% in the second year of the pandemic period exposed to IPV. The mean age of IPV victims was 28.8 ± 6.5 years. Most ER applications were in the evening hours (48.5%), and majority of assailants were the victim’s husband (77.9%). Vast majority of victims were multigravida women (89.7), and most of the traumas were localized in abdomen and genitalia (50%). Three of the women (4.4%) had miscarriage.Conclusion: The increase in cases of IVP against pregnant women during the pandemic was striking, according to the current study. We think that this first study from Turkey on the IPV that pregnant women are exposed to during the pandemic can lead to extensive research focused on measures against IPV during pandemics, such as dissemination of telephone applications for IPV victims, increasing home visits by marriage therapists, and intensifying of education campaigns against violence.Keywords: COVID-19, pregnancy, intimate partner violence, women