Antiviral use and deaths due to COVID-19
Figure 6.2 is an interactive chart where readers can explore differences in COVID-19 antiviral dispensing and deaths due to COVID-19 between 16 February 2022 and 31 December 2022 among aged care residents with a COVID-19 diagnosis, by dementia status and for selected population groups: sex, age group, region of residence (state or territory, remoteness area and socioeconomic area), and number of COVID-19 vaccine doses received. To aid the interpretation of findings, 95% confidence intervals are included.
Between 16 February 2022 and 31 December 2022, the percentage of residents with a COVID-19 diagnosis who died due to COVID-19 was lower among people who were dispensed antiviral medications than those not dispensed antivirals:
- 3.0% compared with 4.9% for people with a dementia record
- 2.3% compared with 3.8% for people with no dementia record (Figure 6.2).
A similar pattern was observed across all population groups analysed (Figure 6.2).
Antiviral use and COVID-19 vaccine doses
Between 16 February 2022 and 31 December 2022, the percentage of residents who died due to COVID-19 was lower for those who had received 3 or more vaccine doses than those with 0–1 dose, and lowest for those also dispensed antivirals (Figure 6.2, ‘Number of vaccine doses’). For example, among residents with a dementia record who had a COVID-19 diagnosis:
- of those dispensed antivirals, 8.7% of residents with 0–1 COVID-19 vaccine dose died due to COVID-19, compared with 2.7% of those with 3 or more vaccine doses
- of those not dispensed antivirals, 12% of residents with 0–1 vaccine dose died due to COVID-19, compared with 4.2% of those with 3 or more vaccine doses (Figure 6.2).
Figure 6.2: Deaths due to COVID-19 (number and percentage) among aged care residents with a COVID-19 diagnosis, by COVID-19 antiviral status, dementia status and population group (16 February 2022 to 31 December 2022)
A series of bar charts show the percentage of residents with a COVID-19 diagnosis who died due to COVID-19 was lower among people who were dispensed antivirals, across all population groups.
Notes:
- Counts include antivirals dispensed within 3 days before COVID-19 diagnosis and up to 14 days after a resident’s latest COVID-19 diagnosis.
- Number of vaccine doses was calculated as the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) 14 days or more prior to a person's latest COVID-19 diagnosis. See Technical notes for further details.
- Deaths due to COVID-19 include those that occurred after a reported COVID-19 diagnosis, regardless of time period, or up to 21 days prior to the COVID-19 diagnosis date, due to potential delays in notifications.
- Data were not available for Western Australia. Data are not shown for the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory due to data confidentiality rules for small counts.
- Analysis by socioeconomic area was based on the 2021 Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) quintiles, where 1 is the most disadvantaged area and 5 is the least disadvantaged area. The socioeconomic area of a person’s residential aged care facility may not be the same as the socioeconomic area/s they previously lived in.
- Remoteness areas outside Major cities were aggregated due to data confidentiality rules for small counts. Socioeconomic area data were suppressed where necessary due to data confidentiality rules for state dominance.
- Abbreviations: NSW: New South Wales, QLD: Queensland, SA: South Australia, TAS: Tasmania, VIC: Victoria.
- To aid the interpretation of findings, 95% confidence intervals are included
For downloadable data tables, see Table S6.2 in Data tables (COVID-19 vaccination and antiviral use among aged care residents with a COVID-19 diagnosis).