Severe Illness Among Adults With COVID-19 Can Occur at Any Age, According to CDC Report
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released preliminary data related to outcomes among US patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Cases of COVID-19 between February 12, 2020 and March 16, 2020 were assessed by severity of disease (hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit [ICU], and death) and age from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 US territories. As of March 16, a total of 4226 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported to the CDC, excluding persons repatriated from Wuhan, China and from Japan (including those from cruise ships). Among 2449 patients with known age, 6% were ≥85 years old, 25% were 65-84 years old, 18% each were 55-64 and 45-54 years old, 29% were 20-44 years old, and 5% were 0-19 years old.
“Among 44 cases with known outcome, 15 (34%) deaths were reported among adults aged ≥85 years, 20 (46%) among adults aged 65-84 years, and nine (20%) among adults aged 20-64 years,” the authors reported. “Case-fatality percentages increased with increasing age, from no deaths reported among persons aged ≤19 years to highest percentages (10%-27%) among adults aged ≥85 years.”
Among the 121 patients admitted to the ICU, 7%, 46%, 36%, and 12% of cases were reported among adults ≥85 years, 65–84 years, 45–64 years, and 20-44 years, respectively; no ICU admissions were noted among patients ≤19 years old. Among the 508 patients with known hospitalization, 9% were ≥85 years, 26% were 65-84 years, 17% were 55-64 years, 18% were 45-54 years, and 20% were 20-44 years.
