According to the study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal a couple of days ago, the death rate for Covid-19 could be significantly lower than what was previously thought.
The new study, done by British researchers, was carried out on people who caught the infection and got cured without showing severe symptoms or getting tested. It was based on findings from new comprehensive analyses of coronavirus cases in mainland China.
The death rate caused by the virus — after taking into account both confirmed and unconfirmed cases — was 0.66 per cent, the study found. The death rate from confirmed Covid-19 cases turned out to be 1.38 per cent.
Estimates that authorities had made so far put the death rate for confirmed cases between 2% and 8%, and the death rate for overall cases between 0.2% and 1.6%.
The researchers involved in the study examined thousands of confirmed cases reported in Wuhan, the virus epicentre in China. Data from hundreds of passengers repatriated from the stricken city were also analysed.
The study showed how the age of patients was key a key factor — nearly 20 per cent of 80+ people who caught the virus needed hospitalisation, while for people under 30, it was only about 1 per cent.
Another finding of the study is likely to have serious implications for countries with ageing populations. While the mortality rates may have turned out lower compared to early estimates, Covid-19 is still “several times deadlier than previous pandemic viruses, such as H1N1,” they said.
