COVID-19 caused more deaths than either influenza or RSV particularly among those not vaccinated
COVID-19 is still a grave threat to the health of Americans, leading to more illness and death than either influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a new study has suggested. According to the research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, COVID-19 accounted for 3 of 5—which is around 60 per cent of respiratory illnesses among military veterans treated by the US Veterans Health Administration.
Researchers from Portland also found that COVID-19 caused more deaths than either influenza or RSV during 2023–24, particularly among people who were not vaccinated against the coronavirus. “SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID virus) was far more common than influenza or RSV and resulted in more severe disease outcomes, including short-term hospitalisation and mortality,” concluded the research team led by Dr. Kristina Bajema, medical director of antimicrobial stewardship with the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System in Portland, Or.
How was the study conducted?
Researchers analysed the medical records of 72,939 veterans treated for COVID-19, flu, or RSV. Results showed that 60 per cent of vets sick with respiratory illness during the last cold and flu season had been infected with COVID-19, as compared with 26 per cent with influenza and 13 per cent with RSV.
COVID-19 and influenza had similar rates of hospitalisation, slightly higher than RSV.
Researchers also said that even COVID-19 and influenza had a similar short-term risk of death—most within a month of infection. However, the long-term risk of death—mostly within six months of infection—was higher among COVID-19 patients than those with flu or RSV. “COVID-19 was associated with more severe disease outcomes, including long-term mortality, compared with influenza or RSV,” researchers wrote.
Those not vaccinated against respiratory illnesses are most likely to die
The results of the study also showed that those veterans who were not vaccinated against respiratory illnesses were more likely to die or require serious hospitalisation.
Researchers found that the ones who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 were more likely to die than those not vaccinated against flu. But “among groups vaccinated against their respective infections, there were no mortality differences at any time point between COVID-19 and influenza,” researchers wrote. “Vaccination remains an important strategy for minimizing the impact of respiratory viral illnesses and particularly Omicron variants” of COVID, the researchers concluded.
What are COVID-19 vaccines?
According to experts, COVID-19 vaccines are preventive treatments that train your body to recognise and quickly fight a COVID-19 infection. This means if you get exposed to coronavirus, you may not get sick or get less severely sick than you would have without vaccination.
The US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organisation authorised the first COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in 2020, when the pandemic began. They were effective against the original strain of COVID-19 and since then, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has mutated with many new variants, a few of which have been deadly.
Some manufacturers have created updated vaccines that train your immune system to recognise new variants and continue to provide protection.
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