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Abdullah F, Myers J, Basu D, et al. Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in tshwane, south africa. Int J Infect Dis. 2021;doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357.
Abdullah, F., Myers, J., Basu, D., Tintinger, G., Ueckermann, V., Mathebula, M., Ramlall, R., Spoor, S., de Villiers, T., Van der Walt, Z., Cloete, J., Soma-Pillay, P., Rheeder, P., Paruk, F., Engelbrecht, A., Lalloo, V., Myburg, M., Kistan, J., von Hougenhouck-Tulleken, W., Boswell, M. T., Gray, G., Welch, R., Blumberg, L., & Jassat, W. (2021). Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in tshwane, south africa. International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357
Abdullah, F, et al. "Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in tshwane, south africa." International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases vol. (2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357
Abdullah F, Myers J, Basu D, Tintinger G, Ueckermann V, Mathebula M, Ramlall R, Spoor S, de Villiers T, Van der Walt Z, Cloete J, Soma-Pillay P, Rheeder P, Paruk F, Engelbrecht A, Lalloo V, Myburg M, Kistan J, von Hougenhouck-Tulleken W, Boswell MT, Gray G, Welch R, Blumberg L, Jassat W. Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in tshwane, south africa. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 28; doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357. Epub 2021 Dec 28. PMID: 34971823; PMCID: PMC8713416.
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Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 28; doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Decreased severity of disease during the first global omicron variant covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in tshwane, south africa.

International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases

F Abdullah, J Myers, D Basu, G Tintinger, V Ueckermann, M Mathebula, R Ramlall, S Spoor, T de Villiers, Z Van der Walt, J Cloete, P Soma-Pillay, P Rheeder, F Paruk, A Engelbrecht, V Lalloo, M Myburg, J Kistan, W von Hougenhouck-Tulleken, M T Boswell, G Gray, R Welch, L Blumberg, W Jassat

Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Steve Biko Academic Hospital; Department of Internal Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria; South African Medical Research Council.
  2. School of Public Health, University of Cape Town.
  3. Department of Public Health Medicine, University of Pretoria.
  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  5. Division of Infectious Diseases, Steve Biko Academic Hospital; Department of Internal Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  6. Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
  7. Tshwane District Hospital.
  8. Department of Paediatrics, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  9. Department of Obstetrics, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  10. Department of Critical Care, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  11. Department of Emergency Medicine, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and University of Pretoria.
  12. South African Medical Research Council.
  13. National Institute of Communicable Diseases.
  14. National Institute of Communicable Diseases; Right to Care, South Africa.

PMID: 34971823 PMCID: PMC8713416 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.357

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first reported in Wuhan China in December 2019 is a global pandemic that is threatening the health and wellbeing of people worldwide. To date there have been more than 274 million reported cases and 5.3 million deaths. The Omicron variant first documented in the City of Tshwane, Gauteng Province, South Africa on 9 November 2021 led to exponential increases in cases and a sharp rise in hospital admissions. The clinical profile of patients admitted at a large hospital in Tshwane is compared with previous waves.

METHODS: The methods should describe what study design you employed for the study and what your sample size was, as it is this is mainly results. 466 hospital COVID-19 admissions since 14 November 2021 were compared to 3976 prior admissions since 4 May 2020. Ninety-eight patient records at peak bed occupancy during the outbreak were reviewed for primary indication for admission, clinical severity, oxygen supplementation level, vaccination and prior COVID-19 infection. Provincial and city-wide daily cases and reported deaths hospitalizations and excess deaths data were sourced from the NICD, the National Department of Health and the South African Medical Research Council.

RESULTS: Deaths and ICU admissions were 4.5% vs 21.3% (p<0.00001), and 1% vs 4.3% (p<0.00001); length of stay was 4.0 days vs 8.8 days; and mean age was 39 years vs 49 years for the Omicron and previous waves respectively. Admissions peaked and declined rapidly with peak bed occupancy at 51% of highest previous peak. Sixty two (63%) patients in COVID-19 wards had incidental COVID-19 following a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test . Only one third (36) had COVID-19 pneumonia, of which 72% had mild to moderate disease. The remaining 38% required high care or ICU admission. Fewer than half (45%) of patients in COVID-19 wards compared to 99.5% in the first wave required oxygen supplementation. City and provincial rates show decoupling of cases, hospitalisations and deaths compared to previous waves, corroborating the clinical findings of milder omicron disease in the hospital.

CONCLUSION: There was decreased severity of disease in the Omicron driven fourth wave in the City of Tshwane, its first global epicentre.

Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

References

  1. JAMA. 2021 Dec 30;: - PubMed

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