(ANSA) – ROME, 07 APR – Omicron worse than the flu, at least with hospitalized patients: in fact, adults in hospital affected by the Omicron variant of the SarsCovV2 virus have a greater risk of death than those hospitalized for flu, even if Omicron it is considered to be less virulent with lower mortality rates than delta and alpha strains. This is what emerges from new research presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen. Led by Alaa Atamna of Belinison Hospital in Israel, the study found that adults (18 years or older) hospitalized with flu were 55% less likely to die within 30 days than those hospitalized with Omicron during the 2021 season- 2022.
In December 2021, the flu reemerged in Israel after going undetected since March 2020. During the same period, Omicron had replaced Delta as the predominant variant. But data directly comparing Omicron to seasonal flu is scarce. To find out more, the researchers compared the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID (Omicron variant) and those hospitalized with flu at a large hospital in Israel. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (167 patients; mean age 71 years, 58% males) and influenza (221 patients; mean age 65 years, 41% males) during December 2021 and January 2022 were included in the study.
Overall, 63 patients died within 30 days: 19 (9%) hospitalized with influenza and 44 (26%) hospitalized with Omicron.
Omicron patients tended to have other illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes, while asthma was more common in patients hospitalized with the flu. Respiratory complications and the need for oxygen support and mechanical ventilation were also more common in Omicron cases than in seasonal flu. (HANDLE).
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