This report examines hospitalisations and deaths for people with COVID-19 during the first 3 years of the pandemic in Australia, with a focus on the height of the pandemic when the Omicron subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus dominated. The role of COVID-19 vaccination and antiviral use among people with COVID-19 was also examined.
This report is based on the final version of the COVID-19 Register, the largest source of linked COVID-19 case information in Australia.
- Cat. no: PHE 351
Key findings
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Between 2020 and 2022, more than 1 in 3 people had a COVID-19 diagnosis notified to health officials
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COVID-19 death rates were lower in older people prescribed COVID-19 antivirals compared to those who were not
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1 in 40 people with a COVID-19 related hospitalisation in Omicron (before 1 July 2022) had an intensive care unit stay
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COVID-19 related hospitalisation rates were 4 times as high in unvaccinated older people than those with 3 or more doses