99% of Those Who Died From Coronavirus “Had Other Illness”, According To Italian Authorities
Health authorities in Italy have discovered that only 1% of coronavirus deaths in the country were to previously healthy people.
In terms of percentages, the death rate from Italy is the highest worldwide, with the latest numbers at 13:45 (GMT) on Thursday showing that 2978 citizens have died out of a total of 35713 infections.
That’s just over eight percent.
In China there have been 81154 confirmed coronavirus cases with 3249 fatalities, a percentage of roughly four percent.
Iran has the second-highest mortality rate behind Italy, with just under seven percent of confirmed cases leading to death.
In other countries where there have been a large number of confirmed cases – such as Spain, Germany, France and the United States – the mortality rate is considerably lower.
The number of deaths has climbed steeply this week in Italy.
With the government considering whether to extend the country’s lockdown period, health authorities have delved closer into the data available to them on March 17 in order to better understand the reasons behind the high number of fatalities.
They performed a study on 18% of the individuals who have died from the coronavirus.
And what they found was that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total deaths, had no previous medical conditions.
Nearly 50% of those who succumbed to the virus had suffered from at least three previous illnesses, and about 25% had been enduring one or two previous medical issues.
The majority of the deaths were to people suffering from high blood pressure (75%), while around 33% had heart disease.
The investigation also revealed that the average age of those who contracted the coronavirus in Italy is 63. The average age of those who died from the virus is 79.5.
As of March 17, 17 people younger than 50-years-old had died from the disease in Italy. All deaths under the age of the age of 40 occurred to males who already had other medical issues.
Image credit:Kateryna Kon
Written by: Anthony McLennan
I’m an experienced journalist who has written for some of South Africa’s biggest publications. Also a photographer, soccer coach, dog-lover and surfer, I enjoy spending time outdoors in beautiful Cape Town. I believe that a new approach is needed to sustain our planet and that it is important to put this message out. Read More stories by Anthony McLennan
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