Clinical outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 Omicron patients treated with traditional Chinese Medicine: A Retrospective Studymedicine: a retrospective study of a large medical centre in Shanghai, China

The efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating infection with the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains to be investigated. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of CHM in COVID-19 Omicron patients. Inpatients aged 18 years or older were divided into two groups based on their treatment: Western medicine group (WMG) and CHM group (CHMG). Demographic and COVID-19-related outcome data of the inpatients were collected. We analyzed negative conversion time, hospital stay, and clinical outcomes. The Asymptomatic Type: Negative conversion time significantly decreased in the CHMG compared with that in the WMG (3.0 [range: 2.0–7.0] days vs 5.0 [range: 3.0–9.0] days, P < 0.01). The hospital stay of the CHMG significantly decreased compared with that of the WMG (6.0 [range: 3.0–11.0] days vs 9.0 [range: 6.0–13.0] days, P < 0.01). The group was independently associated with negative conversion time ( P < 0.01). The Mild/Moderate type: Negative conversion time significantly decreased in the CHMG compared with the WMG (6.0 [range: 2.0–11.0] days vs 8.0 [range: 3.0–12.0] days, P < 0.01). The hospital stay of the CHMG significantly decreased compared with that of the WMG (9.0 [range: 5.0–14.0] days vs 11.0 [range: 7.0–16.0] days, P < 0.01). We found that the use of the JingYinGuBiao formula in Asymptomatic type patients and the JingYinQinHua formula in Mild/Moderate type patients is one of the most effective ways of treating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection because it could shorten negative conversion time and hospital stay.