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Full-Text Articles in Clinical Epidemiology
Comorbidity Factors Influence Covid-19 Mortality Much More Than Age, Steven Gjerstad, Andrea Molle
Comorbidity Factors Influence Covid-19 Mortality Much More Than Age, Steven Gjerstad, Andrea Molle
ESI Working Papers
This paper demonstrates that once we control for comorbidity factors, age has a minor effect on COVID-19 mortality. This has implications for the treatment of current and recovered COVID-19 patients, including health screenings of recovered COVID-19 patients, triage decisions for patients in critical care, and prioritization of vaccinations when one is developed. The coronavirus epidemic in Italy has strained hospital resources, including ICU beds and ventilators for those experiencing acute respiratory failure. Studies of COVID-19 in China [1], Italy [2], and the United States [3] show that fatality rates increase rapidly with age, especially beyond age 60. The same studies …