AlBahrani, SalmaAlBarrak, AliAl-Musawi, TariqAlGubaisi, Nawal AliAlmalki, MaramHakami, Fatimah H.Alghamdi, TurkiAlBeiuruti, ZenaAlkhrashi, SausanAlmershad, MeshaelAlzahrani, SamiraAlQuraiaan, AmerahAlTourifi, HelmyJebakumar, Arulanantham ZechariahAl-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.2023-08-282023-08-282022AlBahrani S, AlBarrak A, Al-Musawi T, et al. COVID-19 vaccine had a significant positive impact on patients with SARS-COV-2 during the third (Omicron) wave in Saudi Arabia [published online ahead of print, 2022 Sep 21]. J Infect Public Health. 2022;15(11):1169-1174. doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2022.09.005https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35183Introduction: The third (Omicron) wave had caused significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases around the globe. The severity of the disease dependeds on the extent of the vaccination status. Methods: This is a retrospective study of infected COVID-19 patients during the third (Omicron) wave in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 400 patients were included with 220 (55 %) males and 180 (45 %) females, and a mean age (+/- SD) of 36.34 + 16.47 years. The most common presenting symptoms were: sore throat 159 (39.8 %), cough 158 (39.5 %), fever 132 (33 %), headache 122 (30.5 %), and muscle ache 124 (31%). There was no difference in underlying conditions, signs and symptoms between males and females apart from the occurrence of sore throat with an OR of 2.014 (95 % CI: 1.103-3.677, P = 0.023) and need of hospitalization OR 2.457 (95 % CI: 1.168-5.167, P value =.018) in a binary logistic regression comparison. The need for hospitalization was inversely related to the number of COVID-19 vaccination doses. The rate of admission was 8 (72.7 %), 34 (12 %), 4 (5.4 %) for one, two, and three doses of COVID-19 vaccine, respectively (P < 0.0001). Of all the patients, 14 (3.5 %) and 8 (2 %) required intensive care (ICU) admission and mechanical ventilation, respectively. The median Ct-value of SARS-CoV-2 was higher in those who had 2 or 3 doses compared to those who had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. None of the included patients died during the study period. Conclusion: Omicron variant symptoms among infected patients are generally milder compared to other variants. Prior COVID-19 vaccination may limit disease severity and need for hospitalization.en-USPublisher PolicyCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2VaccineThird waveSaudi ArabiaOmicronArticle