One in four Covid patients in ICU because of virus
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Only a quarter of Covid patients in Scotland's intensive care wards were there because of the virus, a study has found.
The Public Health Scotland report said that for the majority of patients with Covid in ICU, a positive test was "coincidental" to their admission.
This may have been because they tested positive after being admitted for another condition, for example.
It is the first study since the Omicron variant emerged in January.
The Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group said that a total of 296 patients who had a positive PCR test for the virus had been admitted to ICUs in Scotland between 1 January and 13 March.
It found that:
- Covid was the primary reason for ICU admission in only 26% of these cases
- In a further 14%, Covid may have contributed to their admission - but was not the primary reason
- In 60% of admissions, the positive PCR test was coincidental to the reason for admission
In the initial wave in 2020, more than 80% of Covid patients in ICU units were said to have been admitted because the virus had made them seriously ill - with the figure falling to about 60% after the Delta variant emerged last year.
The further drop to 26% this year may indicate that Omicron causes less severe illness than previous variants on average - but most people now have increased protection from vaccines and hospitals have developed new treatments.
The latest figures showed that there were only 20 Covid patients in ICU units across the country out of a total of 1,819 patients who are in hospital with the virus.
The ICU figure has remained fairly consistent in recent weeks despite the number of people in hospital with the virus hitting record highs of more than 2,300 last month.
Despite a large drop in the number of people testing positive for the virus since last month's peak, the Scottish government has warned that case rates remain very high and the NHS continues to be under intense pressure.