The following is a summary of “Case fatality rates of COVID‐19 during epidemic periods of variants of concern: a meta-analysis by continents,” published in the January 2024 issue of Infectious Diseases by Xia et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to calculate COVID‐19 case fatality rates (CFR) across continents during epidemic periods of various variants of concern (VOC).
They systematically searched 5 authoritative databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and MedRxiv) for epidemiological studies on COVID-19 CFR published from January 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. After identifying variant-related epidemic trends, they utilized a random-effects model to calculate pooled CFRs during periods of different VOCs. This meta-analysis adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO.
The results demonstrated variations in COVID-19 CFRs across different variants (Alpha: 2.62%, Beta: 4.19%, Gamma: 3.60%, Delta: 2.01%, Omicron: 0.70%), with disparities among continents. CFRs in Europe and Oceania were slightly lower compared to other continents. A statistically significant association was observed between the variant, HDI value, age distribution, coverage of full vaccination among cases, and CFR.
Investigators concluded that CFRs of COVID-19 varied by VOC and continent due to complex factors, requiring cautious comparisons due to testing and age group differences.
Source: ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(24)00018-3/fulltext