Dataset Information

Respiratory co-infections with COVID-19 in the Veterans Health Administration, 2020.

ABSTRACT: Reporting of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) co-infections with other respiratory pathogens has varied. We evaluated 825,280 molecular and/or viral culture respiratory assays within the Veterans Health Administration from September 29, 2019 to May 31, 2020. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in 10,222 of 174,746 (5.8%) individuals. 30,063 (17.2%) of 174,746 individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 had additional respiratory pathogen testing; co-infection was identified in 56 of 3757 (1.5%) individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among those negative for SARS-CoV-2, 1022 of 26,306 (3.9%) were positive for at least 1 respiratory pathogen. Compared to COVID-19 mono-infection, individuals with COVID-19 co-infection had lower odds of being female. Compared to non-COVID-19 respiratory pathogen infection, individuals with COVID-19 co-infection had lower odds of being female, were hospitalized more frequently, had higher odds of death, and were younger at death. Our findings suggest COVID-19 co-infections were rare; however, not all COVID-19 patients were concurrently tested for other respiratory pathogens and seasonal decreases in other respiratory pathogens were occurring as COVID-19 emerged.

SUBMITTER: Schirmer P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7816561 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Respiratory co-infections with COVID-19 in the Veterans Health Administration, 2020.

Schirmer Patricia P Lucero-Obusan Cynthia C Sharma Aditya A Sohoni Pooja P Oda Gina G Holodniy Mark M

Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease 20210120 1

Reporting of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) co-infections with other respiratory pathogens has varied. We evaluated 825,280 molecular and/or viral culture respiratory assays within the Veterans Health Administration from September 29, 2019 to May 31, 2020. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detected in 10,222 of 174,746 (5.8%) individuals. 30,063 (17.2%) of 174,746 individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 had additional respiratory pathogen testing; co-infection was i ...[more]

PMID: 33561606

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Project description:ImportanceVeterans Health Administration (VHA) enrollees receive care for COVID-19 in both VHA and non-VHA (ie, community) hospitals, but little is known about the frequency or outcomes of care for veterans with COVID-19 in VHA vs community hospitals.ObjectiveTo compare outcomes among veterans admitted for COVID-19 in VHA vs community hospitals.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cohort study used VHA and Medicare data from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, on hospitalizations for COVID-19 in 121 VHA and 4369 community hospitals in the US among a national cohort of veterans (aged ≥65 years) enrolled in both the VHA and Medicare with VHA care in the year prior to hospitalization for COVID-19 based on the primary diagnosis code.ExposureAdmission to VHA vs community hospitals.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day readmission. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance observable patient characteristics (eg, demographic characteristics, comorbidity, mechanical ventilation on admission, area-level social vulnerability, distance to VHA vs community hospitals, and date of admission) between VHA and community hospitals.ResultsThe cohort included 64 856 veterans (mean [SD] age, 77.6 [8.0] years; 63 562 men [98.0%]) dually enrolled in the VHA and Medicare who were hospitalized for COVID-19. Most (47 821 [73.7%]) were admitted to community hospitals (36 362 [56.1%] admitted to community hospitals via Medicare, 11 459 [17.7%] admitted to community hospitals reimbursed via VHA's Care in the Community program, and 17 035 [26.3%] admitted to VHA hospitals). Admission to community hospitals was associated with higher unadjusted and risk-adjusted 30-day mortality compared with admission to VHA hospitals (crude mortality, 12 951 of 47 821 [27.1%] vs 3021 of 17 035 [17.7%]; P < .001; risk-adjusted odds ratio, 1.37 [95% CI, 1.21-1.55]; P < .001). Readmission within 30 days was less common after admission to community compared with VHA hospitals (4898 of 38 576 [12.7%] vs 2006 of 14 357 [14.0%]; risk-adjusted hazard ratio, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.86-0.92]; P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that most hospitalizations for COVID-19 among VHA enrollees aged 65 years or older were in community hospitals and that veterans experienced higher mortality in community hospitals than in VHA hospitals. The VHA must understand the sources of the mortality difference to plan care for VHA enrollees during future COVID-19 surges and the next pandemic.

Project description:BackgroundHealth services researchers within the Veterans Health Administration (VA) seek to improve the delivery of care to the Veteran population, whose medical needs often differ from the general population. The COVID-19 pandemic and restricted access to medical centers and offices forced VA researchers and staff to transition to remote work. This study aimed to characterize the work experience of health service researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA REDCap survey developed from the management literature was distributed in July 2020 to 800 HSR&D researchers and staff affiliated with VA Centers of Innovation. We requested recipients to forward the survey to VA colleagues. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression modeling were conducted on multiple choice and Likert scaled items. Manifest content analysis was conducted on open-text responses.ResultsResponses were received from 473 researchers and staff from 37 VA Medical Centers. About half (48%; n = 228) of VA HSR&D researchers and staff who responded to the survey experienced some interference with their research due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet 55% (n = 260) reported their programs of research did not slow or stop. Clinician investigators reported significantly greater odds of interference than non-clinician investigators and support staff. The most common barriers to working remotely were loss of face-to-face interactions with colleagues (56%; n = 263) and absence of daily routines (25%; n = 118). Strategies teams used to address COVID-19 related remote work challenges included videoconferencing (79%; n = 375), virtual get-togethers (48%; n = 225), altered timelines (42%; n = 199), daily email updates (30%; n = 143) and virtual team huddles (16%; n = 74). Pre-pandemic VA information technology structures along with systems created to support multidisciplinary research teams working across a national healthcare system maintained and enhanced staff engagement and well-being.ConclusionsThis study identifies how the VA structures and systems put in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to support a dispersed workforce enabled the continuation of vital scientific research, staff engagement and well-being during a global pandemic. These findings can inform remote work policies and practices for researchers during the current and future crises.

Project description:ImportanceWith SARS-CoV-2 transforming into an endemic disease and with antiviral treatments available, it is important to establish which patients remain at risk of severe COVID-19 despite vaccination.ObjectiveTo quantify the associations of clinical and demographic variables with odds of severe COVID-19 among patients with hematologic cancers.Design, setting, and participantsThis case-control study included all patients with hematologic malignant neoplasms in the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who had documented SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination. Groups of patients with severe (cases) vs nonsevere (controls) COVID-19 were compared. Data were collected between January 1, 2020, and April 5, 2023, with data on infection collected between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022. All patients with diagnostic codes for hematologic malignant neoplasms who had documented vaccination followed by documented SARS-CoV-2 infection and for whom disease severity could be assessed were included. Data were analyzed from July 28 to December 30, 2023.ExposuresClinical (comorbidities, predominant viral variant, treatment for malignant neoplasm, booster vaccination, and antiviral treatment) and demographic (age and sex) variables shown in prior studies to be associated with higher or lower rates of severe COVID-19. Comorbidities included Alzheimer disease or dementia, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease.Main outcome and measuresThe main outcome was severe COVID-19 compared with nonsevere SARS-CoV-2 infection. Severe COVID-19 was defined as death within 28 days, mechanical ventilation, or hospitalization with use of dexamethasone or evidence of hypoxemia or use of supplemental oxygen. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of demographic and clinical variables with the odds of severe COVID-19, expressed as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% CIs.ResultsAmong 6122 patients (5844 [95.5%] male, mean [SD] age, 70.89 [11.57] years), 1301 (21.3%) had severe COVID-19. Age (aOR per 1-year increase, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.04-1.06), treatment with antineoplastic or immune-suppressive drugs (eg, in combination with glucocorticoids: aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.93-2.80), and comorbidities (aOR per comorbidity, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.29-1.43) were associated with higher odds of severe disease, whereas booster vaccination was associated with lower odds (aOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62-0.86). After oral antiviral drugs became widely used in March 2022, 20 of 538 patients (3.7%) with SARS-CoV-2 infection during this period had progression to severe COVID-19.Conclusions and relevanceIn this case-control study of patients with hematologic cancers, odds of severe COVID-19 remained high through mid-2022 despite vaccination, especially in patients requiring treatment.

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Respiratory co-infections with COVID-19 in the Veterans Health Administration, 2020.

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Respiratory co-infections with COVID-19 in the Veterans Health Administration, 2020.

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