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. 2023 Jan 25;20(3):2150.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032150.

Outcomes of Elderly Patients Hospitalized with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron B.1.1.529 Variant: A Systematic Review

Roxana Manuela Fericean  1   2 , Cristian Oancea  3 , Akash Reddy Reddyreddy  4 , Ovidiu Rosca  1 , Felix Bratosin  1   2 , Vlad Bloanca  5 , Cosmin Citu  6 , Satish Alambaram  4 , Neeharika Gayatri Vasamsetti  7 , Catalin Dumitru  6
Affiliations

Outcomes of Elderly Patients Hospitalized with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron B.1.1.529 Variant: A Systematic Review

Roxana Manuela Fericean et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had an increased rate of spreading among the general population. Although this virus mutation resulted in milder symptoms, those on the vulnerable side of the population are still in danger of developing severe symptoms. Thus, this systematic review focused on identifying the clinical outcomes of older age patients (>65) that are hospitalized with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The research was conducted using four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Central), with a search query in December 2022 that comprised the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. The inclusion criteria comprised (1) a population of patients older than 65 years, (2) a history of hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection, and (3) infection with Omicron B.1.1.529 variant. The initial search generated 295 articles, out of which six were included in the systematic review, and a total of 7398 patients. The main findings were that when looking at the elderly population, the mortality and hospitalization rates remained high. This is because older people are more vulnerable and have more comorbidities that interfere with the virus's progress. However, there is inconsistency in mortality rates, since the data reported by the included studies had different selection criteria based on the severity of the COVID-19 infection. Although no statistically significant differences were found between the unvaccinated and vaccinated groups, patients who got booster doses of vaccination had a lower likelihood of developing severe symptoms, serving as a protective factor for this population.

Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron variant; SARS-CoV-2 infection; elderly patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow Diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of findings (vaccinated vs. unvaccinated patients); (a) Duration of hospitalization; (b) Mechanical ventilation; (c) Mortality Rate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of findings (vaccinated vs. unvaccinated patients); (a) Duration of hospitalization; (b) Mechanical ventilation; (c) Mortality Rate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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