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Compared with patients with seasonal flu, hospitalized COVID-19 patients face an increased need for ventilation and intensive care, longer hospital stays, more complications, and nearly five times the risk of death, according to a US study published yesterday in
BMJ.
The study, led by researchers from the VA Saint Louis Health Care System, mined the US Department of Veterans Affairs medical records database to compare the outcomes of 3,641 COVID-19 patients hospitalized from Feb 1 to Jun 17 with those of 12,676 hospitalized with the flu from 2017 to 2019.
Quadruple risk of ventilator use
Compared with the flu, COVID-19 was tied to a higher risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 4.97), the need for mechanical ventilation (HR, 4.01) and intensive care (HR, 2.41), and needing an extra 3 days of hospitalization.
Study: COVID-19 patients have greater risk of health problems, mortality than those with flu
Almost a year ago, COVID-19 began its global rampage, going on to infect about 69.5 million people and kill about 1.6 million as of early this month. From the beginning, most scientists have said that COVID-19 is deadlier than the seasonal flu, while fringe theories have circulated widely, suggesting it is less deadly or flu s equal.
Evidence is accumulating, however, to show just how much deadlier COVID-19 is compared with the flu and the extent of complications related to the two illnesses.
The new research a deep dive into federal data by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System reveals a clearer distinction between the two contagious viruses: Among hospitalized patients, COVID-19 was associated with an increased need for ventilators, more admissions into intensive care units (ICUs), longer hospital stays
$15,000 Donated Among Area Organizations That Serve Veterans
ST. LOUIS, Mo., December 11, 2020 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that Cardinals Care will distribute $15,000 in grant money to five area organizations that support veterans as part of the team’s military grants program. The grants will be used to fund several programs across the area that provide support to veterans including:
The Kaufman Fund – Trees for Vets program: Funds will be used to provide free Christmas trees and stands to veterans and their families, as well as winter coats for veterans helped by St. Patrick Center. Since this program began, with the support of several businesses, over 1,800 trees have been given to deserving families.