A new study published Tuesday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) showed that despite omicron (B.1.1.529) producing the highest reported numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during the pandemic, disease severity indicators, including length of stay, ICU admission, and death, were lower than during previous pandemic peaks.
The CDC report attributed the decreased severity of this wave, at least in part, to increased vaccination. About 178 million were vaccinated during the delta wave, compared with 207 during omicron. Further, during the omicron period, 78 million persons had received vaccine boosters, compared with 1.6 million persons during the delta period.
Still, the researchers warned that although disease severity appears lower with the omicron variant, the high volume of hospitalizations can strain local healthcare systems and the average daily number of deaths remains substantial. With omicron the predominant variant, daily cases have been topping one million, and the rate of death is still high, at about 15,000 per week, according to figures from USA Today. Figures in this study showed that the number of people with COVID-19 admitted to emergency departments was 86 percent higher than during delta.
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The burden can be seen in areas such as Idaho, where the state’s department of health and welfare announced the decision Monday morning to activate crisis standards of care, allowing health organizations in three regions of the state to ration care due to “severe” staffing and blood shortages, according to Boise State Public Radio.
“Once again, the situation in our hospitals and health systems is dire — we don’t have enough resources to adequately treat patients,” said Dave Jeppesen, director of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, in a statement.
The federal government also recently sent military medical teams to six states to help overwhelmed hospitals, and the governors in Ohio and Kansas activated National Guard members to ease overburdened medical staff.
The investigators also noted a recent positive trend: During the week ending January 15, 2022, emergency department visits appeared to be decreasing and the rapid increase in cases and hospital admissions appeared to be slowing.
“Although patients hospitalized during the omicron period have shorter stays and less frequent ICU admissions, the high volume of hospitalizations resulting from high transmission rates during a short period can strain local healthcare systems in the United States, and the average daily number of deaths remains substantial,” concluded the authors. “This underscores the importance of national emergency preparedness, specifically, hospital surge capacity and the ability to adequately staff local healthcare systems when critical care needs arise and before the system is overwhelmed. Previous studies have identified increased risk for severe outcomes among unvaccinated persons. Thus, being up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and following other recommended prevention strategies are critical to prevent infections, severe illness, or death from COVID-19.”
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January 27, 2022 at 05:46AM
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CDC Says Omicron Less Severe Than Previous Waves - Everyday Health
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