EuCARE Project Reveals Insights on In-Hospital Mortality Across SARS-CoV-2 Waves

A recent research published in the Lancet Regional Health- Europe unveiled significant insights into 28-day in-hospital mortality across different waves of SARS-CoV-2, including the Wild-type, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. The study, entitled "Twenty-Eight-Day In-Hospital Mortality During the Wild-type, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Waves: A Multinational Cohort Study in the EuCARE Project," was conducted as part of the EuCARE project, with collaboration of researchers across 10 centers in 9 countries, including Prof Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri, IGH. 

This study gathered data from hospitalized individuals carrying different SARS-CoV-2 strains from 10 different centers across Europe.

A key finding of the study observed that 28-day in-hospital mortality decreased throughout the pandemic, particularly since the emergence of the Omicron variant. Additionally, researchers identified age as an important effect measure modifier of the risk of mortality, with evidence suggesting that the observed decrease in in-hospital mortality reflects a combined effect of immunity from vaccinations and previous infections.

When comparing different variants of SARS-CoV-2, the results indicated that Omicron sublineage BA.1 carried a higher risk of mortality compared to sublineages BA.2 and BA.5, as well as the Alpha and Delta variants. However, these differences were not observed when the analysis was restricted to unvaccinated participants, suggesting that initial variants are not more deadly compared to later ones when considering only the unvaccinated.

The study is part of the EuCARE Project, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme. In addition to investigating in-hospital mortality, EuCARE also studies long covid, immunological response, and the impact of containment and screening measures in schools.

Links

• Twenty-Eight-Day In-Hospital Mortality During the Wild-type, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Waves: A Multinational Cohort Study in the EuCARE Project
• Prof Al Cozzi-Lepri Profile
• EuCARE Project