Conference Coverage

Comorbidities, COVID-19 Vaccination Among COVID-19 Deaths

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN

In this video, Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN, discusses the presentation at IDWeek 2023 titled “Prevalence of comorbidities and COVID-19 vaccination among COVID-19 deaths,” including the populations that are most affected by COVID-19 deaths.

Additional Resource:

Lyons Z, DiBiase L, Sickbert-Bennett E, Weber DJ. Prevalence of comorbidities and COVID-19 vaccination among COVID-19 deaths. Talk presented at: IDWeek 2023. October 11-15, 2023. Accessed October 4, 2023. https://idweek.org/

For more IDWeek 2023 content, visit the Resource Center.


 

TRANSCRIPTION:

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Hi, my name is Zin Lyons. I am one of the public health epidemiologists at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill.

Consultant360: Please provide us with an overview of your presentation at ID Week 2023 titled “Prevalence of comorbidities and COVID-19 vaccination among COVID-19 deaths.”

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Our study was a retrospective cohort study of 220 COVID-19 deaths among inpatients at the UNC Medical center. Deaths from COVID-19 were identified per discharge diagnosis from July, 2021 to April, 2023. So, we collected data on demographics, COVID-19 vaccination status and preexisting comorbidities.

C360: Can you describe the importance of studying comorbidities and COVID-19 vaccination among COVID-19 deaths?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Studying comorbidities and COVID-19 vaccination status among COVID-19 deaths is crucial to understanding the impact of the virus on different populations.

So, my goal was to provide valuable insights into which comorbidities were more prevalent among COVID-19 deaths, and which age group and gender were most affected.

C360: What were the findings in this study?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Our findings revealed that of the 220 patients who died, 45% were 65 and older, 60% were male, and 90% of patients had comorbidities.

C360: What were the top comorbidities that you found in this study?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: The six comorbidities among all genders and ages were hypertension, about 48%, heart conditions 42%, diabetes, 35%, and chronic kidney disease 29%, immunocompromised 29%, and obesity 25% were the top six conditions that most patients had.

C360: What was the risk ratio overall among those unvaccinated?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Among those who were unvaccinated, they were 5.87 times more likely to have no comorbidities compared to those vaccinated: 14% versus 2% with a 95% confidence interval of 1.4 2, 24 0.5, and P value of 0.004.

C360: What were the demographics findings?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: In this cohort study of COVID-19 deaths, the majority of patients dying with COVID-19 were white non-Hispanic males greater than 65 or older, with comorbidities most often with multiple conditions. And more than half of the patients who died had not received COVID-19 vaccination.

C360: Did your findings surprise you? Why or why not?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Overall, I wasn't really surprised by our findings. They were pretty consistent with what we've seen in other research and what the CDC has been saying. So while it's always good to have concrete evidence to support our assumptions, it wasn't anything unexpected.

C360: How do your findings contribute to existing literature on COVID-19, comorbidities, and vaccination?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: I hope that our study will help enhance the existing literature by contributing more information on risk factors for COVID-19 deaths. The public can then use this information to make informed decisions about their own health.

C360: What is next for research on these topics?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Moving forward I think it'll be interesting to understand how different variations in the lineage of the virus may impact the risk factors differently, or the same for COVID-19 deaths. Our presentation showcased our findings from the retrospective cohort study on COVID-19 deaths.

C360: What were the overall take-home messages from your presentation?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: Our presentation showcased our findings from the retrospective cohort study on COVID-19 deaths.  While we did not have a specific take home message, we hope that our readers will be able to draw their own conclusions from the data presented.

C360: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Zin Lyons, MPH, BSN, RN: I say it's worth noting that our sample size was relatively small, so we weren't able to fully assess all potential confounding factors. But we thoroughly enjoy conducting this study and gaining a better understanding of the underlying associations.

 


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