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The yet-to-be-published examine, posted as preprint on Analysis Sq. on Could 2, adjusted for components corresponding to demographics, vaccination standing, and the Charlson comorbidity index that predicts the chance of demise inside a yr of hospitalisation for sufferers with particular comorbid situations.
The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant has beforehand been reported as extra transmissible, however much less extreme than different SARS-CoV-2 variants.
To check this assumption, the researchers linked state-level vaccination knowledge with quality-controlled digital well being data from a big healthcare system, together with 13 hospitals, in Massachusetts, US.
The workforce, together with researchers from Massachusetts Common Hospital, Minerva College and Harvard Medical College, US then in contrast dangers of hospital admission and mortality throughout the SARS-CoV-2 waves in over 130,000 COVID-19 sufferers.
Though the unadjusted charges of hospital admission and mortality gave the impression to be larger in earlier waves in comparison with the Omicron interval, the dangers of hospitalisation and mortality have been almost similar.
“After adjusting for confounders … we discovered that the dangers of hospitalisation and mortality have been almost similar between intervals. Our evaluation means that the intrinsic severity of the Omicron variant could also be as extreme as earlier variants,” the authors of the examine famous.
The researchers famous that the Omicron variant has been reported as extra transmissible, however much less extreme, than earlier variants in quite a lot of areas together with South Africa, Scotland, England, and Canada.
Nevertheless, understanding the intrinsic severity of Omicron is difficult, they mentioned.
“Plenty of confounding components affecting severity in COVID-19 have modified because the begin of the pandemic and should proceed to vary,” the authors of the examine mentioned.
“Any comparability between SARS-CoV-2 variants with out adequately adjusting and controlling for essential confounders which will change over time corresponding to vaccination standing and healthcare utilisation, can mislead each the general public and medical specialists of the true hazard of the variant,” they added.
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