The Number of Hospital Deaths Caused by COVID-19 is Alarmingly Higher Than Flu Patients

The Number of Hospital Deaths Caused by COVID-19 is Alarmingly Higher Than Flu Patients
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Many people had been comparing COVID-19 with influenza, saying that both diseases are posing quite the same level of danger for the patients. But as the ongoing pandemic unfolded, it turns out that the SARS-CoV-2 virus really is something else. Until now, over 1.3 million people died of COVID-19 worldwide, and the number keeps on growing by thousands every day.

One ugly resemblance between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and common influenza that most of us have at least once in a lifetime is that both viruses are leading to the death of some people. If you are already very scared of COVID-19, you must know that the flu is annually killing between 12,000 and 61,000 people only in the USA since 2010. But unfortunately, things can get out of control even more.

In-hospital mortality rate of 40% for COVID-19 patients

By comparison, the death rate for hospitalized patients who suffered from influenza was almost two times lower: 19%. During the new study led by Dr. Natalie Cobb from the University of Washington Medicine and that provided this shocking fact, there were analyzed clinical features, laboratory results as well as health outcomes between COVID-19 and flu patients.

The study was published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, and the higher death rate for those who suffered from COVID-19 was independent of criteria like gender or age.

139 patients studied

The researchers reviewed the medical records of 65 patients who were critically ill with COVID-19 and 74 people who were suffering from severe influenza A or B. They were all admitted to the intensive care units of two hospitals from the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“The finding that ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) may be more prevalent among critically ill patients with COVID is important in understanding why there may be a mortality difference between the two diseases,” Dr. Natalie Cobb said.

“We also found that patients with ARDS due to COVID-19 had a trend toward worse clinical outcomes than ARDS patients with influenza.”

Europe is currently facing a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s a lot worse than the first one. Tens of thousands of daily cases of infections are being reported by countries like France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, and others.

Source: oregonlive.com


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I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

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