Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Data Confirms Reports That Underlying Conditions Play A Large Role In Hospitalizations, Fatalities
The Washington Post: Chronic Health Conditions In Coronavirus Patients New CDC Data
People who have chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease, face an increased chance of being hospitalized with covid-19 and put into intensive care, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is consistent with reports from China and Italy. The new data gives the most sweeping look at the way covid-19 is causing serious illnesses among people in the United States who already face medical challenges. (Achenbach and Wan, 3/31)
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Coronavirus Patients With Other Conditions Hospitalized At Higher Rates
Roughly 28.5% of adult patients with at least one underlying health condition were hospitalized in a non-ICU setting, compared with 7.5% of patients without other conditions. The percentages of adults with and without underlying conditions admitted to the ICU were about 14% and 2.3%, respectively. Of the 184 deaths among Covid-19 patients with complete information on risk factors, 173 occurred among patients with at least one underlying condition, according to the report. The CDC considered a range of factors and conditions, including heart and lung ailments, chronic renal disease, neurological disorders, chronic liver disease, pregnancy and smoking history. Some underlying ailments were grouped together in the analysis, and for risk factors such as pregnancy and smoking status, the number of severe cases was too small to draw any conclusions, the agency said. (Abbott, 3/31)
The Center for Public Integrity: These Charts Show Who's Most Vulnerable To Coronavirus
More than a third of American adults — or 105 million people — are at higher risk of serious illness if they get infected with the coronavirus, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of CDC data. For most of them, their age puts them in danger: More than 76 million Americans are 60 or older. The remaining 29 million people are younger but have underlying health issues. Age and underlying health issues go hand in hand: COVID-19 has so far been most menacing to older people with underlying illnesses. (Whyte and Zubak-Skees, 4/1)
Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Death Rate Study Shows Risk Rises With Age
The fatality rate for people infected with the novel coronavirus is estimated to be less than 1%, according to a new study. Among the those whose infections cause them to become sickened by the disease known as COVID-19, the fatality rate is 1.38%, the study authors estimate. Both fatality rates vary greatly with age, according to the report in the medical journal Lancet. (Kaplan, 3/31)
CIDRAP: Because Of Age, Third Of US Doctors Prone To Worse COVID-19
Nearly one in three licensed doctors in the United States is older than 60 years, an age-group particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes from COVID-19, according to a study published today on the preprint server medRxiv. And New York and California, two hard-hit states, have the most older physicians. "The physician workforce is not only at risk of losing time spent in clinical care due to these exposures, but at a personal risk from severe disease that requires hospitalization and is associated with high morbidity and mortality," the authors said, noting that 80% of deaths in China were in people 60 and older and that, in the United States, nearly half of hospitalizations and intensive care admissions and up to 80% of deaths have been in that age-group. (Van Beusekom, 3/31)
GMA: Infants And COVID-19: What We Know About How Susceptible They Are And How They’re Treated
Public health officials in Illinois on Saturday announced the death of an infant in Chicago who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said a full investigation was underway to determine the cause of death of the infant, adding, "There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant. "No other details were released about the baby's health condition, but the news, along with several other reports of infants testing positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, has given the parents of newborns and infants another worry -- that their baby could contract the virus, which has to date resulted in more than 3,000 deaths in the U.S. (Kindelan, 3/31)
