Severe COVID-19 Deadlier Than Heart Attack Among Young Adults, Azithromycin's Effect on Covid-19 and Hospital Acquired COVID-19

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According to data analyzed at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, severe COVID-19 is deadlier than heart attack among young adults. The results of this study were published in Jama Internal Medicine on Wednesday.

From the months of April 1 through June 30, 781,000 coronavirus patients were discharged, and around 3,200 people or 5% of COVID-19 patients treated at 419 US hospitals were people ages 18 to 34.

Among these patients, one in five needed intensive care, one out of 10 required the use of mechanical ventilation, and nearly 3% died. Although the mortality rate is still lower compared to older adults, it is twice more than the death rate caused by heart attacks among young adults.

Based on the study, more than half of the hospitalized young adults were male and 57 percent were Black or Hispanic. Although race or ethnicity are not factors indicating an increased risk of death or needing a ventilator, these findings suggest that it is more important to stress the significance of infection prevention measures among this age group.

Health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension were tied to worse outcomes.

For young adults who are diagnosed with multiple comorbidities, their health risks are at par with those seen among middle-aged adults, aged 35 to 64 years old, without these underlying health conditions.

Aaron Milstone, a pediatric specialist at Johns Hopkins University focusing on infectious disease, said that the study focused more on hospitalized patients, which is why it cannot attest to the risk associated with the general young adults who are infected with the coronavirus. However, it is important to know that once you are hospitalized, there is already a high risk of complication and it should be a cause of concern for everyone, regardless if you are a child, young adult, or senior citizen.

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Antibiotic Shows No Effect On Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

A study conducted in Brazil shows that administering the antibiotic azithromycin did not appear to provide any benefit to hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are complaining of troubled breathing.

243 COVID-19 patients in 57 hospitals who are in need of oxygen administration or mechanical ventilation were randomly given azithromycin, while the other 183 similar patients did not get the treatment.

Although no harm came from administering azithromycin, after 15 days of observation, it was also not associated with any patient improvement nor did it reduce their risk of death. During an April survey in 30 countries involving more than 6,000 physicians, azithromycin was the second most commonly prescribed treatment for COVID-19. But because of the absence of any benefit, the researchers mentioned in The Lancet medical journal that the routine use of this drug should be avoided.

Hospital-Acquired COVID-19

According to a paper published in JAMA Network Open, infection control protocol established in hospitals which include airborne infection isolation rooms, personal protective equipment, and visitor restriction, as well as liberal COVID-19 testing of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients may reduce the risk for hospital-acquired COVID-19. These findings published on Wednesday should provide reassurance to patients.

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