PATIENTS’ FATALITY RATE ASSESSMENT OF A COVID-HOSPITAL OF SOUTHERN ITALY: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND WAVES, AND PRE-COVID PERIOD

The present study assessed the patients’ fatality rate in a third-level hospital of southern Italy, during the pandemic of COVID-19, by comparing the first and the second waves and a benchmark period. The authors demonstrated that, during the first wave, there were a great reduction of the hospitalized patient and an increase of patients’ fatality rate partially due to COVID-19. The urgent hospitalization was indeed more than before, so the hospital treated fewer patients in more serious conditions. During the second wave the newly adopted strategies allowed the hospital to start over the outpatient activity and the elective surgery, and at the same time to ensure better assistance to COVID-19 and no-COVID patients by addressing specific units to COVID-19 patients and increasing the beds capacity of the intensive care units.