People infected with COVID-19 are 1.5 times more likely to require intensive care and stay in hospital 1.5 times longer than people with the flu.
A study published Wednesday (Feb. 10) in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that the risk of dying after infection with the CCA virus (COVID-19) is 3.5 times higher than the risk of dying after infection with the flu.
Experts have been talking about the severity of this new CCP virus since the beginning of the virus pandemic.
The study analyzed COVID-19 and influenza cases hospitalized in seven Toronto-area hospitals from November 2019 to June 2020 and found that people infected with COVID-19 were 1.5 times more likely to require intensive care and were hospitalized 1.5 times longer than those with influenza.
Dr. Amol Verma of St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto said the study used data extracted from hospital computer systems to describe the details of patients’ hospitalizations, CP24 reported.
The data included demographics, vital signs, lab test results, use of hospital resources such as ventilators, and the outcome of hospitalizations – whether they died in the hospital, required intensive care, or were readmitted.
The Canadian study’s results were similar to those recently reported in France and the United States, the Journal of the Medical Association said.
“We can now say unequivocally that COVID-19 is much more serious than seasonal influenza.” Vilma said in a news release.
The study describes hospitalizations in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, areas with large populations and high numbers of COVID-19 infections. The study included all patients admitted to medical services or intensive care units (ICUs) for influenza or COVID-19.
A total of 1,027 viral hospitalizations (some readmissions) were made among the 972 patients infected. This compares to 783 hospitalizations out of 763 influenza patients.
These numbers represent 23.5% of the total number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Ontario during the study period.
Most of the patients hospitalized for COVID had few other medical conditions, and 21% were younger than 50 years of age. The study found that people younger than 50 years also accounted for 24% of admissions to intensive care units.
While the CCP virus generally affects older people more severely, Vilma said the results of this study show that the disease can also have a serious impact on younger people.
The influenza hospitalizations included in the study occurred primarily from November 2019 to February 2020, Velma said. The infected hospitalizations in the study occurred primarily from March to June.
Is the Variant virus more deadly?
Verma said people are less immune to COVID-19 compared to seasonal influenza. He added that a vaccine for the CCP virus should help reduce the severity of the infection over Time.
“Unfortunately, variants of the virus can be more severe.” He added.
There are many variants spreading around the world, but health experts are primarily concerned about the emergence of three variants.
● B117, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom, has a “large number” of mutations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
● B1351, first found in South Africa, has some of the same mutations as B117.
● The P1 variant was first discovered in Japan among four travelers who had been to Brazil.
What makes these new variants more infectious? The spike protein on the surface of the virus has mutated and it has become more effective at attaching to our cells to cause infection, so a small amount of virus can cause infection,” said Rhonda Low, a Vancouver physician. With these mutations, the incubation period is also shortened to 12 hours to 2 days, so more people will be infected.”
Variant viruses can also be more deadly than the original strains, and the British government’s chief scientific adviser said in January that there was some evidence that the variants found for the first time in Britain had a higher risk of death than the original strains.
Lucas Castellani, an infectious disease specialist at Sault St. Mary’s Regional Hospital (Sault Area Hospital), told CBC News, “Variant viruses can be more deadly, and unfortunately that’s how viruses survive and how they infect us through mutation. “
Lowe said more new variants will emerge, “I think that will happen because in general, viruses keep mutating. Some have consequences, some don’t. Just like the flu virus, that’s why the seasonal flu vaccine may change from year to year. So, viruses do have that ability to protect themselves and mutate.”
Can you get re-infected with a variant virus?
Castellani said, “Yes, it is possible to be re-infected. We are seeing that in some parts of the world, particularly in South Africa, certain infected people are actually re-infecting with the virus. It’s felt that once immunity to the virus is acquired, it may last for a while, but not everyone acquires immunity for the same amount of time.”
In the spring, the Brazilian city of Manaus was hit so hard by the CCP virus that researchers estimated that 76 percent of the population was infected, making the recent resurgence of the outbreak in the city unexpectedly severe.
The main theory, experts say, is that the first outbreak in Manaus was about nine months ago, combined with the danger posed by the variant virus P1, which has weakened people’s immunity.
The Brazilian variant of the virus also “has mutations that are also present in the South African variant, which gives it a tendency to evade the vaccine.”
Post-vaccination blood disorders in the United States
Some people in the United States have developed a rare blood disorder called thrombocytopenia after being vaccinated against the Chinese communist virus.
According to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), as of the end of last month, 36 people across the United States had developed the blood disorder and one person had died. It has not been determined whether the blood disorder is related to vaccination, but some hematologists say they suspect the vaccine does “play a role” in the blood disorder.
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