Number of patients hospitalized ‘with COVID’ vs. ‘for COVID’ is shifting

In the early days of the pandemic, “the overwhelming majority of people who were COVID-positive were there (in the hospital) because of respiratory need,” said Dr. Shruti Gohil, associate medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine Medical Center. … “It’s a totally different landscape now,” because when the virus was new, no one had immunity, Gohil said. … At UCI Medical Center, Gohil and [Dr. Daniel] Chow estimate the split is now close to 50/50 among COVID-positive patients who get admitted for symptoms or complications of the disease and patients with some other primary diagnosis.