Delayed hospital admission linked to increased mortality

And the TGA is preparing the ground for when a COVID vaccine is submitted for approval.

Welcome to The Medical Republic’s COVID Catch-Up.

It’s the day’s COVID-19 news in one convenient post. Email bianca@biancanogrady.com with any tips, comments or feedback.

30 November

• Delay in hospitalisation for COVID-19 associated with increased mortality, study suggests.
• TGA lays out details of vaccine approval process in Australia.
• Latest confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia.

• Each day of delay in hospitalisation after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms is associated with a 1% increase in mortality risk, according to a study published in BMJ Open.
  The retrospective cohort study analysed data from 6068 participants in the COVID-19 Hospitalisation in England Surveillance System, who were hospitalised for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK.
  This revealed that even after adjusting for demographic and comorbidity factors, patients had a statistically significant 1% higher risk of mortality for each day’s delay in hospitalisation after the onset of symptoms.
  Those who were hospitalised before symptom onset – which may describe patients who developed COVID-19 while already hospitalised – had a 48% lower risk of mortality than those who weren’t.
  The study also found that patients who were healthcare workers, obese, or from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds were also more likely to admitted to hospital later.
  “Our findings support the hypothesis that earlier detection of deterioration and timely admission could reduce mortality, particularly as knowledge of the disease grows, and treatment modalities improve,” researchers wrote.
• As the COVID-19 vaccine race speeds up and headlines suggest a vaccine could be just around the corner, there are no doubt many questions being asked about how Australia’s vaccine approval processes work.
  The Therapeutic Goods Administration is getting ahead of the curve by publishing information for healthcare workers and consumers about what will happen when a COVID-19 vaccine is submitted for approval for use in Australia.
  The information covers questions about how the TGA assesses efficacy, quality and safety; what the steps taken to get approval of a vaccine; and how a vaccine will be monitored during and after roll-out.
• The ACT recorded two new cases over the weekend, but fortunately both are returned travellers who have complied with quarantine instructions. ACT Health has reassured Canberrans that the risk of community spread is low.
  All of New South Wales’ 12 cases recorded over the weekend are returned travellers in quarantine.
  Here are the latest confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia to 9pm Sunday:
  National – 27,893 with 907 deaths
  ACT – 117 (0)
  NSW – 4568 (4)
  NT – 52 (0)
  QLD – 1201 (2)
  SA – 562 (1)
  TAS – 230 (0)
  VIC – 20,345 (0)
  WA – 818 (1)