A new study published today has highlighted a “30-day window” for hospital inpatients to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to help reduce their risk of dying.
A Cardiff University-led team analysed 2,508 hospital patients across 18 sites during the first wave of the pandemic to assess the impact of being infected with COVID-19 in hospital on risk of death.
They found the risk of dying from COVID-19 was far greater for patients who catch it while already in hospital than it is for those who get the virus in the community, reflecting the vulnerable nature of these individuals.
The findings highlight a month-long window for vaccination between admission to hospital and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study, the largest of its kind to date, is published today in the BMJ journal Thorax.
The early findings were shared with the Welsh Government in January of this year – and helped contribute to a change in vaccination policy in Wales to prioritise some of the most vulnerable patients during the second wave. Prior to this it was not policy to vaccinate COVID-19 negative inpatients.
cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/253...
BMJ Journals, Thorax. Study Paper:
