NEW DELHI, April 7 (IANS) Adults hospitalized with the Omicron variant have a higher mortality rate than those hospitalized for seasonal influenza, although Omicron is considered less virulent with lower mortality rates than the delta and alpha strains, it has shown. New search.
The study, led by Dr. Alaa Atamneh and colleagues from Rabin Medical Center at Belenison Hospital in Israel, found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalized with influenza were 55 percent less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalized with Omicron. During the 2021-2022 flu season.
Influenza and Covid-19 are both respiratory illnesses with similar transmission patterns.
To find out more, the researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 (the Omicron variant) and those who were treated for influenza at a large academic hospital in Israel.
Overall, 63 patients died within 30 days – 19 admitted with influenza and 44 hospitalized with Omicron.
Patients with Omicron tended to have higher overall comorbidity scores, needed more help with activities of daily living (washing and dressing), and were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, while asthma was more common in Those hospitalized with influenza.
Respiratory complications and the need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal influenza.
“One possible reason for the higher mortality rate of Omicron is that patients who were admitted to Omicron were older and had other underlying diseases such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease,” said Dr. Atamna.
The difference may also be due to an exaggerated immune response to Covid-19, and that vaccination against Covid-19 was much lower among Omicron patients.
The double whammy of influenza and Covid-19 pandemics will increase disease complexity and burden on health systems, said the study, which will be presented at the European Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen this month.
– Jans
na/vd
