There was a marked deterioration in outcomes for patients admitted to critical care at the peak of the second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 in United Kingdom (December 2020–January 2021), compared with the post-first-wave period (June 2020–September 2020).

The primary outcome was inhospital 28-day mortality by calendar month of admission, from March 2020 to January 2021.

Unadjusted mortality was estimated, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted mortality, controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, major comorbidities, social deprivation, geographic location, and operational strain

The deterioration was independent of recorded patient characteristics and occupancy levels.

Further research is required to determine to what extent this deterioration reflects the impact of the B117 variant of concern.

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