Background. Prior to the introduction of vaccines, COVID-19 hospitalizations of non-institutionalized persons in Connecticut disproportionately affected communities of color and individuals of low socioeconomic status (SES). Whether the magnitude of these disparities changed 7-9 months after vaccine rollout during the Delta wave is not well documented. Methods. All initially hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 during July-September 2021, were obtained from the Connecticut COVID-NET database, including patients’ geocoded residential addresses. Census tract measures of poverty and crowding were determined by linking geocoded residential addresses to the 2014-2018 American Community Survey. Age-adjusted incidence and relative rates of COVID-19 hospitalization were calculated and compared to those from July-December 2020. Vaccination levels by age and race/ethnicity at the beginning and end of the study period were obtained from Connecticut’s COVID vaccine registry and age-adjusted average values were determined. Results. There were 708 COVID-19 hospitalizations among community residents of the two counties, July-September 2021. Age-adjusted incidence was highest among non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanic/Latinx compared to non-Hispanic Whites ((RR 4.10 (95% CI 3.41-4.94) and 3.47 (95% CI 2.89-4.16)). While RR decreased significantly among Hispanic/Latinx and among the lowest SES groups, it increased among non-Hispanic Blacks (from RR 3.1 (95% CI 2.83-3.32) to RR 4.10). Average age-adjusted vaccination rates among those >12 years were lowest among non-Hispanic Blacks compared to Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic Whites (50.6% vs 64.7% and 66.6%). Conclusions. While racial/ethnic and SES disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization have mostly decreased over time, disparities among non-Hispanic Blacks increased, possibly due to differences in vaccination rates.

Background: Influenza is a persistent public health problem associated with severe morbidity and mortality. Drug use is related to myriad health complications, but the relationship between drug use and severe influenza outcomes is not well understood. The study objective was to evaluate the relationship between drug use and severe influenza-associated outcomes. Methods: Data were collected by the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) from the 2016-2017 through 2018-2019 influenza seasons. Among persons hospitalized with influenza, descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to analyze differences in demographic characteristics, risk and behavioral factors, and severe outcomes (intensive care unit [ICU] admission, mechanical ventilation, or death) between people who used drugs (PWUD), defined as having documented drug use within the past year, and non-PWUD. Results: Among 48,430 eligible hospitalized influenza cases, 2,019 were PWUD and 46,411 were non-PWUD. PWUD were younger than non-PWUD and more likely to be male, non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic/Latino, smoke tobacco, abuse alcohol, and have chronic conditions including asthma, chronic liver disease, chronic lung disease, or immunosuppressive conditions. PWUD had greater odds of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation, but not death compared with non-PWUD. Opioid use specifically was associated with increased risk of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation. Conclusion: PWUD had greater odds of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation than non-PWUD hospitalized with influenza. These results support targeted initiatives to prevent influenza and associated severe outcomes among this population.