China COVID-19 Fatality Rate Lower Than Earlier Estimates: Lancet

A study done by The Lancet Infectious Diseases has revealed that overall death per coronavirus case in China is 0.66% - lower than what was estimated earlier.Report from Imperial College, London, had earlier said that the ‘crude fatality ratio’ was about 3.67%. The reason for this drop is unadjusted estimation for early undiagnosed cases, the report says. "Crude case fatality ratios obtained by dividing the number of deaths by the number of cases can be misleading", the report added.It, however, maintains that COVID-19 is deadlier than seasonal flu and death rate is still "higher than that for recent influenza pandemics such as H1N1 influenza in 2009."Also Read: COVID-19 India Update: Death Toll Touches 50, Cases Rise to 1,965 Calling COVID-19, a major global health thread, the report adds, it will continue to be so in the coming weeks and months.The study has also estimated 1.38% death rate for confirmed COVID-19 cases which is consistent with some of the old reports. "After adjusting for demography and under-ascertainment, we obtained a best estimate of the case fatality ratio in China of 1·38%, with substantially higher ratios in older age groups 0·32% in those aged <60 years, 6·4% in those aged ≥60 years, and up to 13·4% in those aged 80 years or older", says the report. It further adds, "Our estimate of the proportion of infected individuals requiring hospitalisation, when combined with likely infection attack rates (around 50–80%), show that even the most advanced health-care systems are likely to be overwhelmed."Also Read: ‘Coronavirus Is Affecting Mental Health’: How Are Doctors Coping?Emphasizing the needs for such a report, The Lancet Infectious Diseases further says in its study :"These estimates are therefore crucial to enable countries around the world to best prepare as the global pandemic continues to unfold."As of Thursday, 2 April, 937,941 total cases have been reported worldwide, according to Worldometers and 47,273 people have lost their lives due to deadly novel coronavirus. China alone has recorded 3,312 deaths. Also Read: PPEs, Masks: How Protected Are India's Frontline Medics?

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China COVID-19 Fatality Rate Lower Than Earlier Estimates: Lancet

China COVID-19 Fatality Rate Lower Than Earlier Estimates: Lancet

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Topics: Quint Fit Coronavirus 2019