COVID led to more hospital stays, deaths than flu from 2022 to 2024, study suggests

News brief

Danish woman riding bike during COVID — Kristoffer Trolle / Flickr cc

An observational study comparing the severity of COVID-19 and influenza among nearly 6 million Denmark residents finds a higher rate of hospitalizations and deaths in those infected with SARS-CoV-2—mainly among unvaccinated people, those with chronic conditions, and males—from 2022 to 2024.

Researchers from the Statens Serum Institut and the University of Copenhagen analyzed national registry data on COVID-19 and flu hospitalizations and deaths, vaccination status, and sociodemographic factors from May 2022 to June 2024.

The results, published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, align with those of a large Veterans Affairs (VA) study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Unvaccinated most at risk

Among 5.9 million people in the new study, COVID-19 hospitalization was twice as likely than flu hospitalization (24,400 vs 8,385; adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR], 2.04), especially in the first year of the study, in the summer, and among those aged 65 years or older. The death rate was three times higher for COVID-19 (2,361 vs 489; aIRR, 3.19).

Even in countries where COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone older than 6 months, COVID-19 vaccination uptake has been dismal.

Yan Xie, PhD

Of 19,286 patients hospitalized in winter, the risk of death was higher from COVID-19 than flu (adjusted rate ratio [aRR], 1.23), especially among the unvaccinated (aRR, 1.36), those with chronic conditions (aRR, 1.27), and males (aRR, 1.36).

In a related commentary, Yan Xie, PhD, of the VA St. Louis Health Care System, said the findings highlight a disconnect between empirical evidence and public health policy, especially in vaccine prioritization strategies.

"Although evidence continues to show that COVID-19 is a much more serious threat to human health than influenza, vaccine policies in much of the world plainly ignore or substantially restrict COVID-19 vaccines—all while promoting vaccination for influenza," he wrote. "Even in countries where COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone older than 6 months, COVID-19 vaccination uptake has been dismal."

Governments should align their policies with empirical evidence to protect public health, Xie said: "Failure to do so antagonises the foundational pillar of the government's role: to protect the health and wellbeing of its people.

Uganda confirms deadly outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus

News brief

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

Ebola healthcare worker — *Simon Davis, DFID / Flickr cc*

Today on X, Ugandan health ministers confirmed an outbreak of Sudan virus, which belongs to the Ebola virus family, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said it is deploying senior public health experts and staff from the country office to support the response.

It is the country's first Ebola outbreak in 2 years and the ninth outbreak of the virus, with five in Uganda and three in Sudan.

Ugandan officials said the index patient is a 32-year-old man who worked as a nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital city of Kampala and died after seeking care at multiple facilities. "Our rapid response teams are fully deployed, contact tracing is under way, and all necessary measures are in place to contain the situation," Diana Atwine, MBChB, secretary of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, wrote on X. "We assure the public that we are in full control."

WHO preparing to deploy supplies

Forty-five contacts of the index patient, including family members and 35 healthcare workers, none of whom have reported symptoms, are being monitored. The WHO said it has allocated $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to accelerate the response and is preparing supplies such as personal protective equipment to transport from its Emergency Response Hub in Nairobi, Kenya, to Uganda.

The identification of the case in a densely populated urban [area] requires rapid and intense response.

World Health Organization

"The identification of the case in a densely populated urban [area] requires rapid and intense response," the WHO said in a press release. "While there are no licensed vaccines for the Sudan virus disease, WHO is coordinating with developers to deploy candidate vaccines as an addition to the other public health measures."

Sudan virus disease is a life-threatening illness of people and non-human primates due to Orthoebolavirus sudanense. Case-fatality rates have ranged from 41% to 100% in previous outbreaks. Because there are no approved treatments, early initiation of supportive treatment is required.