A new study from Canada found that the risk of death from Covid-19 is three and a half times higher than the threat posed by flu, while also dispelling the myth that the disease does not affect younger people.
The findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and treated between 1 November 2019 and 30 June 2020 hospitalizations for both influenza and Covid-19 in seven major hospitals in the Toronto and Mississauga area.
All patients in the study were admitted either for general treatment in the hospital or to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
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The study compared 783 hospitalizations, of 763 patients, for influenza and 1027 hospitalizations, of 972 patients for Covid-19.
The majority of coronavirus patients had few, if any, underlying diseases, and 21 percent of this group were under the age of 50, dispelling another misconception that Covid-19 mainly affects older people.
“Nearly one in three adults under the age of 50 hospitalized with Covid-19 required intensive care, and almost one in 10 required an unplanned readmission after discharge,” he said. Dr. Amol Verma of the St. Michael Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto, said.
Those admitted for Covid-19 were more likely to require ICU treatment, prolonged use of ventilators, and were in the hospital longer than flu patients.
“Patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in Ontario have a 3.5 times higher risk of death, 1.5 times greater use of the ICU and 1.5 times longer hospital stays than patients admitted with influenza , “ Verma said while taking the opportunity to stress that the pandemic is definitely more deadly than seasonal flu.
Similar findings have been reported in the US and Europe.
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