Clinical Trends Among U.S. Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19, March-December 2020

ABSTRACT

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial morbidity and mortality. ObjectivesTo describe monthly demographic and clinical trends among adults hospitalized with COVID-19. DesignPooled cross-sectional. Setting99 counties within 14 states participating in the Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET). PatientsU.S. adults (aged [≥]18 years) hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 during March 1-December 31, 2020. MeasurementsMonthly trends in weighted percentages of interventions and outcomes including length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit admissions (ICU), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), vasopressor use and in-hospital death (death). Monthly hospitalization, ICU and death rates per 100,000 population. ResultsAmong 116,743 hospitalized adults, median age was 62 years. Among 18,508 sampled adults, median LOS decreased from 6.4 (March) to 4.6 days (December). Remdesivir and systemic corticosteroid use increased from 1.7% and 18.9% (March) to 53.8% and 74.2% (December), respectively. Frequency of ICU decreased from 37.8% (March) to 20.5% (December). IMV (27.8% to 8.7%), vasopressors (22.7% to 8.8%) and deaths (13.9% to 8.7%) decreased from March to October; however, percentages of these interventions and outcomes remained stable or increased in November and December. Percentage of deaths significantly decreased over time for non-Hispanic White patients (p-value <0.01) but not non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic patients. Rates of hospitalization (105.3 per 100,000), ICU (20.2) and death (11.7) were highest during December. LimitationsCOVID-NET covers approximately 10% of the U.S. population; findings may not be generalizable to the entire country. ConclusionsAfter initial improvement during April-October 2020, trends in interventions and outcomes worsened during November-December, corresponding with the 3rd peak of the U.S. pandemic. These data provide a longitudinal assessment of trends in COVID-19-associated outcomes prior to widespread COVID-19 vaccine implementation.