COVID-19 Update—Death Rate From Coronavirus Lower Than Previously Believed

New Stats Regarding COVID-19 Death Rates

A new study that considers mild cases of COVID-19 that often go undiagnosed estimates the death rate from the novel coronavirus to be about 0.66% rather than the previously estimated 2%.

However, COVID-19 fatality rates are close to 8% in people aged 80 or over, making infection control measures critical in assisted living and long-term care facilities.

In the study, published this week in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers estimated the true infection fatality rate by looking at how widespread infections were among people repatriated to their home countries from Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus originated. This population received a test that identified how many of them were shedding the virus, even if they didn’t show symptoms of COVID-19.

Researchers then combined that data with public information on reported cases and deaths, to reach an overall death rate of about two-thirds of 1%.However, that number went up in older adults, with researchers estimating about 7.8% of people 80 or older can be expected to die after an infection.

For people younger than 40, the estimated death rate is never higher than 0.16%, and for children younger than 9, the deaths are very rare with a fatality rate of just 0.00161%.

When undetected infections aren’t taken into account, researches found the death rate was 1.38%, which is closer than the previously reported 2%. But as many people will not be tested due to showing no symptoms or having a milder version of the disease, the lower fatality rate is considered more accurate.

According to figures from yesterday, at least 3,004 people have died in the United States and more than 160,700 have been infected since the first reported case of COVID-19 on January 20.

In comparison, the annual death rate for the flu is estimated at 0.1%. As flu season comes to an end, so far the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate there have been at least 39 million flu illnesses, 400,000 hospitalizations, and 24,000 deaths, in the latest U.S Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report.

Nurses Cleaning as EVS Staff Kept from COVID-19 Patients

Union representatives for nurses at University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center who are being told to clean the rooms of patients with COVID-19 are asking hospital authorities to reconsider the policy, CBS-TV reports.

A memo from hospital authorities to nurses dated March 21 stated that nursing personnel should clean and disinfect surfaces and remove trash and linens from COVID-19 patient’s room. Nurses also are being asked to restock soap and paper towels in these rooms.

Normally, these tasks would be performed by the hospital’s environmental services (EVS) staff. But the memo stated that EVS workers should not be in the same room as a COVID-19 patient. However, hospital housekeepers are expected to disinfect rooms after COVID-19 patients leave, wearing proper protective equipment (PPE).

Representatives from the Illinois Nurses Association union are calling for more protective gear for nurses, such as N95 masks. They are also seeking help in cleaning patient rooms as nurses become busier as more patients are admitted.

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