3.2 Mortality
Amongst the patients surveyed, 26% of the patients admitted succumbed
to the disease during April 2021, while only 10% died with infection
caused by Omicron during January 2022. It was observed that the older
age group patients [age: 68.6 ± 9.76 years (mean ± SD)] had an
increased mortality when infected with the Omicron variant,
however, there was no significant
difference in the age of patients who survived [age: 46.4 ± 16.1 years
(mean ± SD)] to those who died [age: 49 ± 15.2 years (mean ± SD)]
when infected with the Delta variant. In total, 32.6% of the male
patients who were admitted died from the Delta variant infection,
compared to 20.6% of the female patients who passed away within the
same time. However, amongst the patients admitted with Omicron
infection, a higher percentage of females (11.6%) than males (8.7%)
perished. There was no mortality seen amongst the pregnant females
admitted due to the infection by SARS-CoV-2 in both the time periods.
The comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease had an increased risk for mortality for patients
infected by either the Delta or the Omicron variant, with a significant
odds ratio as seen in Table I. On comparison of the patients who
succumbed to the disease in the two different periods, patients with
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had increased mortality (30.8%)
when infected with the Delta variant as compared to the Omicron variant
(20%). Although, the presence of comorbidities was not a risk factor to
get admitted in Omicron, the presence of diabetes, hypertension and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had a higher risk of mortality as
compared to the Delta variant as shown in Table I. The risk of smoking
increased the mortality (OR: 1.5-1.7) in both variants of the infection.
In patients who succumbed to the disease, higher proportion of the
patients were admitted for more than 7 days due to the Omicron infection
(80%) as compared to the Delta infection (30.8%). Most of the patients
succumbed within 48 hours (30.8%) or after 48 hours but within 7 days
(38.4%) during the Delta variant infection. However, in patients with
Omicron, none of them died within 48 hours. The average length of stay
amongst patients who were admitted and later died was comparatively
longer in cases infected with the Omicron variant than the Delta variant
(12.1±4 vs 5.2±4 days).