COVID-19 hospitalisations in a tertiary health service during the Omicron subvariant wave

Abstract

Objectives: COVID-19 Omicron subvariants typically cause milder disease than previous strains, yet many patients were still admitted to hospital for acute care. We audited reasons for and details of admissions to identify opportunities to reduce hospitalisations. Methods: We reviewed all admitted patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from 1st December 2022 to 30th January 2023. Results: Of 600 patients with a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction, 222(37%) were considered incidental diagnoses. Reasons for admission for symptomatic COVID-19 (375 patients, 63%) included worsening symptoms (226, 60%), exacerbation of comorbidities (89, 24%), and difficulty managing at home (38, 10%). Almost half were classified as a mild infection (175, 47%). Of the 231 patients aged over 70 years, only 55 (24%) had prior antiviral therapy, and 90 (39%) had 4+ vaccine doses. Patients speaking language other than English and having country of birth other than Australia were significantly associated with lower vaccination rates and not having antivirals prior to admission. Conclusions: One-third of COVID-19 hospital admissions were incidental, and half were for mild disease. Many patients had not received appropriate vaccination or antivirals in the community. Implications for public health: Improving uptake of vaccinations and antivirals, and increasing community support, with a focus on people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, may reduce the burden of COVID-19 on hospitals.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2
• Omicron
• hospitalisation