Hospitalizations for Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Analysis of the Occurrence Waves

Abstract

Abstract The pandemic has been characterized by several waves defined by viral strains responsible for the predominance of infections. We aimed to analyze the mean length of hospital stay for patients with COVID-19 during the first three waves of the pandemic and its distribution according to sociodemographic and clinical variables. This retrospective study used the notifications of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in a Brazilian state during the period of the three waves of the disease as the data source. There were 13,910 hospitalizations for confirmed COVID-19 cases. The first wave was the longest, with 4,101 (29.5%) hospitalizations, while the third, although shorter, had a higher number of hospitalized patients (N=6,960). The average length of stay in the hospital was associated with age groups up to 59 years old and from 60 to 79 y.o., high school and higher education, pregnant women (P=0,036) white and non-white race, female and male sex, and residents of the urban area (P < 0.05). Regarding the presence of comorbidities, there was a statistically significant difference in the mean number of days of hospitalization among patients with chronic cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and obesity (P< 0.05). In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has been distinctly revealed among the waves.