Novel Coronavirus Update- February 18, 2020
Health officials in China have now published the first details of more than 70,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, now named Covid-19. Research from the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that more than 80% of the cases have been mild with the elderly and those with co-morbidities most at risk.
The study looked at 72,314 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed across China as of February 11, 2020, including confirmed, suspected and asymptomatic cases. Some of the conclusions reached include the following:
- Some 80.9% of infections are classified as mild, 13.8% as severe (pneumonia and shortness of breath) and only 4.7% as critical (organ and respiratory failure, septic shock)
- The highest fatality rate is for people aged 80 and older, at 14.8%
- For children up to age 9, there have been no fatalities and up to the age of 39, the fatality remains low at 0.2%
- For the next age groups, the fatality rates increase gradually: for people in their 40s it is 0.4%, in their 50s it is 1.3%, in their 60s it is 3.6% and in their 70s it is 8%
- Men have a fatality rate of 2.8%, women 1.7%
- Identifying which existing illness put patients at risk, the study finds cardiovascular disease at number 1, followed by diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and hypertension
Chinese officials reported 1,886 new cases – the first time the daily figure has fallen below 2,000 since Jan. 30 – bringing the mainland China total to 72,436. A figure of 98 new deaths marked the first time the daily toll in China had fallen below 100 since Feb. 11, bringing the total to 1,868. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Chinese data “appears to show a decline in new cases” but any apparent trend “must be interpreted very cautiously”.
