Trends in COVID-19-Attributable Hospitalizations Among Adults With Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2-COVID-NET, June...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Screening for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during hospital admissions complicates COVID-19 hospitalization data interpretation.
• Individuals with mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection may be misclassified as having COVID-19-associated hospitalizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the proportion of hospitalizations that were likely attributable to COVID-19 among patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2-positive hospitalizations from the COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET).
• Focus on data from July 2022 to September 2023.
• Definition of likely COVID-19-attributable hospitalizations included presenting complaint, treatment, or discharge diagnosis related to COVID-19 in non-pregnant adults aged 18 years and older.

Main Results:

• Out of 44,816 sampled hospitalizations, 90% met the criteria for likely COVID-19 attribution.
• During July 2022–September 2023, 86% of 9,866 admissions were likely COVID-19-attributable.
• Patients not meeting the case definition were younger, more likely to have no underlying conditions, or be asymptomatic upon admission.

Conclusions:

• The majority of hospitalizations among SARS-CoV-2-positive adults were likely due to COVID-19.
• COVID-19-attributable hospitalizations were less frequent in younger adults but still represented a significant proportion.