Later COVID-19 Waves Saw a Decrease in Severe Outcomes

The peer-review JAMA Network Open published today results from a study that found more Canadians were hospitalized during later COVID-19 waves compared to the initial year of the pandemic.

However, the health outcomes were less severe in these hospitalized people.

In a cohort study of 55,714 adult and pediatric patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in 155 acute care hospitals in Canada, surveillance data show that during waves 5 and 6 of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals experienced a surge in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase in nosocomial transmission of COVID-19, and a decrease in severe outcomes.

These data suggest the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in reducing the burden on the Canadian healthcare system and severe outcomes associated with COVID-19, wrote these researchers.