[ad_1]
PARIS – About a year after the start of the pandemic, it is clear that the new coronavirus is worse than the seasonal flu, and a study released on Friday highlighted how much worse it was, showing a death rate almost three times higher in COVID-19 patients.
The research, using French national data and published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, highlighted the increased severity of the disease in people with Covid-19.
Researchers compared data from 89,530 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in March and April of this year with 45,819 patients hospitalized for seasonal flu between December 2018 and the end of February 2019.
Receive The Times of Israel daily edition via email and never miss our best articles Sign up for free
About 16.9% of COVID-19 patients died during the study period – which was during a devastating first wave across Europe when doctors had few therapies to turn to for seriously ill people.
This compares to a death rate of 5.8% among people with the flu.
Medical staff work at the ICU at Bassini Hospital, Cinisello Balsamo, near Milan, Italy, April 14, 2020 (Claudio Furlan / LaPresse via AP)
Catherine Quantin, professor at Dijon University Hospital and the French national health institute INSERM who jointly led the study, said the difference in death rates was “particularly striking” given that the 2018-2019 influenza season was the deadliest France has seen in five years.
The authors note that the difference in the number of hospitalizations – which has seen twice as many people admitted for COVID-19 as for the flu – may be partly explained by existing immunity to the flu, either due to a previous infection or vaccination.
Researchers found that more COVID-19 patients needed intensive care – 16.3% vs. 10.8% for influenza – while the average ICU stay was almost twice as long (15 days vs. 8 days).
The study also reported significantly fewer children under the age of 18 hospitalized for COVID-19 than for the flu – 1.4% versus 19.5%.
[ad_2]
Source link