People who are older are more at risk of dying from the CCP virus, with 80 percent of deaths in the United States involving adults aged 65 or older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Morbidity and Mortality report released Wednesday.
It adds, “Further, older adults should maintain adequate supplies of nonperishable foods and at least a 30-day supply of necessary medications, take precautions to keep space between themselves and others, stay away from those who are sick, avoid crowds as much as possible, avoid cruise travel and nonessential air travel, and stay home as much as possible to further reduce the risk of being exposed.”
“Since February 12, 4,226 COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States; 31% of cases, 45% of hospitalizations, 53% of ICU admissions, and 80% of deaths occurred among adults aged ≥65 years with the highest percentage of severe outcomes among persons aged ≥85 years,” the report stated.
The CDC analyzed preliminary from cases reported from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories from Feb. 12 to March 16. The analysis did not include those who were repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China, and from Japan, including patients from cruise ships.
The CDC noted that the data appears to agree with early data from China that showed 80 percent of deaths involved people who were aged 60 or older.
The report noted that data on whether patients had other risk factors such as underlying health conditions were not available at the time of its analysis.
“They’re the ones that are out and about, and they’re the most likely to be in social gatherings and they’re the most likely to be the least symptomatic,” Birx said. “There are more millennials now than any other cohort and they can help us at this moment.”
