New data reveals COVID-19 hospital trends in Virgina

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -New data from The Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association reveals how the Omicron wave impacts Virginia hospitals.

The association collected data from 91 hospitals within the Virginia Healthcare and Hospital Association Inpatient (VHHA) Database and 81 hospitals with the VHHA Emergency Department Database from the start of the pandemic in 2020 to late April 2022.

Data reveals as of April 30, the omicron variant affected younger people more than previous variants.

The average age of people hospitalized during the Omicron wave was lowered from 71 to 68, with men typically hospitalized for COVID more than women. Patients diagnosed with hypertension tended to be hospitalized with COVID more than others with chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

The association also says COVID-19 patients stay in the hospital longer with new variants for an average of 10 and a half days.

The data also says there has been a nearly 17 percent decrease in the number of people in hospital emergency departments since March 2020. Emergency departments saw the most visits of COVID-19 patients between November 2020 and January 2021.

Find the entire breakdown of the COVID-19 trends in Virginia hospitals here.

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