Estimating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–caused deaths in hospitals and healthcare units: Do hospital-acquired infections play a role? Comments with a proposal

Furthermore, in multivariate analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of septic shock on VAP onset was 3.30 (95% CI, 1.43–7.61; P = .005) and the OR of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was 13.21 (95% CI, 3.05–57.26; P < .001). Both were associated with mortality.1 These authors collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 79 of 171 patients and reported positive microbial cultures in 77 of 79 BALFs (97%).1 Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a huge concern for hospitals in Italy. Furthermore, neither a proper democratic debate nor a political discussion has included more suitable and effective protocols aimed toward greatly reducing the impact of HAIs in ICUs among COVID-19 patients. [...]far, the public debate has included issues regarding social contacts and severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the general population, but HAIs have not been adequately considered.