QCovid. This is the name of a new tool developed by researchers at the University of Oxford which makes it possible to identify vaccinated people who present the highest risk of death or hospitalization linked to Covid-19.
- Developed by British researchers, Qcovid is a tool that calculates the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 after one or two doses of vaccine.
Developed since 2020, the QCovid tool was carried out using UK data from general practice, national vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 screening, death register and hospital episode data.
The scientists then analyzed a sample of more than 6.9 million vaccinated adults, 5.2 million of whom had received both doses of the vaccine. Among the patients studied, 2,031 deaths and 1,929 hospitalizations linked to Covid-19 were recorded, including 81 deaths and 71 admissions occurring 14 days or more after the second dose of vaccine.
The objective of this tool is to calculate the risk of hospitalization or death related to Covid-19 after one or two doses of vaccine, taking into account factors such as age, sex, ethnic group and Covid-19 infection rate. It makes it possible to detect people at risk, in particular those suffering from dementia or Parkinson’s, as well as immunocompromised patients following chemotherapy, a recent bone marrow transplant or HIV carriers.
Few deaths in doubly vaccinated patients
“This new tool can also inform discussions between doctors and patients about the level of risk to facilitate shared decision-making”explains in a press release Julia Hippisley-Cox, professor of clinical epidemiology and general medicine at the University of Oxford.
According to the results of their analyzes published in the British Medical Journal, few Covid-19-related hospitalizations or deaths were seen in the group that received the second dose, regardless of the vaccine. However, the study could not determine whether the groups of patients above were more at risk before or after receiving their second dose of vaccine.
The researchers hope this data can be used in a variety of health settings, to inform those most likely to be at risk, and possibly target priority patients for additional trials of vaccines, boosters, or future preventative treatments.
