Title: Comparison of Mortality in Different Waves during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Descriptive Study at Tertiary center in India

Abstract:

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. An outbreak is called an epidemic when there is a sudden increase in cases. Many countries have experienced a three wave pattern in the reported cases of COVID-19 including India. The spread of COVID-19 in India was a cluster event distributed over multiple locations. This study aims to compare the characteristics of mortality during different waves during the COVID-19 pandemic at tertiary centers in India. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from April 2020 to January 2022 (22 months) in 3 separate clusters to determine the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths as well as sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, nationality, and source population at risk factors. The categorical data were compared using a chi-square test. Results: Three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred within 22 months and characteristic of mortality in each wave were compared with source population at risk factors such as close contact with a previously confirmed patient, community risk, cluster communities, and active and community surveillance. The chi-square test revealed significant differences between the three waves. Conclusion: Significant differences between pandemic phases or waves in mortality have been observed. Reasons may be due to weak social distancing policies at the start of the pandemic and the lack of public health interventions including vaccination. A COVID-19 vaccination with social awareness made a significant difference in mortality even in people at risk of suffering severe symptoms and the general population.

Biography: