A new study from Canada has found that the risk of death from Covid-19 is three and a half times higher than the threat of flu, while also dispelling the myth that the disease tends not to affect younger people.
The findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and covered hospital admissions for both influenza and Covid-19 between November 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 in seven major hospitals in the Toronto and Mississauga areas.
All patients in the study were admitted to either general hospital treatment or Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
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The study compared 783 hospital admissions of 763 patients for influenza and 1027 hospital admissions of 972 patients for Covid-19.
The majority of coronavirus patients had little or no underlying disease, and 21 percent of this group were under the age of 50, dispelling another misconception that Covid-19 primarily affects the elderly.
“Nearly one in three adults under the age of 50 who were hospitalized with Covid-19 required intensive care, and nearly one in 10 required an unplanned readmission to the hospital after discharge”, Dr. Amol Verma, of St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the University of Toronto said.
Those admitted for Covid-19 were more likely to receive IC treatment, long-term use of ventilation equipment, and longer stay in the hospital than flu patients.
“Patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in Ontario with Covid-19 had a 3.5 times greater risk of death, 1.5 times more ICU use and 1.5 times longer hospital stays than patients admitted with influenza, “ Verma took the opportunity to underline that the pandemic is decidedly more deadly than seasonal flu.
Similar findings have been reported in the US and Europe.
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