In a representative study from the University of Lucerne (Switzerland), researchers compared mortality and intensive care admission rates in hospitalized Swiss patients (aged 18+) with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant versus influenza. The results were published in the journal Jama Network Open. A significantly higher mortality rate was found for omicron: During the first 30 days of hospitalization, the mortality rate for those suffering from omicron was about 1.5 times higher.
Our opinion: Covid-19 still is to be considered as a serious illness. The monitoring of the antibody status still is a useful preventive health measure , especially in view of the increasing numbers of infections and hospital admissions by the variant XBB.1.5.
JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(2):e2255599. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55599