New research suggests that four times as many patients with COVID-19 were admitted to intensive care during the third wave of the virus in Australia compared to the first two combined.
A higher proportion of patients between late June and early November last year required ventilation and eventually a higher percentage of them died.
The hospital mortality study was conducted by Monash University in conjunction with the Intensive Care Society of Australia and New Zealand.
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Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared along with the management and outcomes of ICU virus patients during the three pandemic waves.
Data were collected from 78 hospitals and 2,493 patients admitted to 59 intensive care units in total.
About 214, nine percent, came into care in early 2020. 296 more, or 12 percent, were admitted between July 2020 and the end of June last year and in 1983, or the 80 percent, during the third wave between then and November.
The proportion without coexisting diseases was higher during the third wave, with 41%, compared to 32% of the first and 29% of the second.
Similarly, more than 19 percent of total ICU beds were occupied by patients with COVID during the third wave, while less than three percent were occupied during the first and just under five percent during the second.
Ventilation was also the most used during the final wave.
Thirty patients (14%) died in hospital during the first wave, 35 (12%) in the second, and 281 (17%) during the third.
“After adjusting for age, disease severity, and other covariates, the risk of hospital mortality was similar for the first and second waves, but 9.60 percentage points higher during the third than the first wave,” the researchers concluded.
Because the Delta variant was more virulent than previous strains and therefore more likely to require intensive care, they suggested that this was an explanation for their findings.
“It was also more communicable and more likely to cause serious illness in younger people than previous strains that had been a greater threat to people over 60,” said the study’s director, Dr. Husna Begum.
“We found that the average age of patients decreased in all three waves, as did the proportion with multiple other medical conditions.
“The results reinforce the need to provide adequate resources and support to ICUs, especially in times of unusually high demand,” Dr. Begum said.
Over the weekend there were almost 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 82 deaths in Australia.
There are about 227,000 active cases nationwide, the highest score since June 7. There are also more than 3,100 patients in hospital care, the highest in five weeks.
LATEST DATA OF COVID-19 THE 24 HOURS:
NSW: 6862 cases, 11 dead, 1507 in hospital, 55 in ICU
Victory: 6305 cases, one death, 459 in hospital, 26 in ICU
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