New Delhi: Italy has recorded the highest fatality rate in the world due to novel coronavirus at 5 percent, ahead of the outbreak epicenter in China.
According to data analytics on COVID-19, the fatality rate varies from country to country and is dependent on two factors — the quality of healthcare and the average age of the population.
Data shows that China had the highest number of confirmed cases at 80,738, with 3,120 deaths and consequently a fatality rate of 3.9 percent.
After China, the highest number of cases are in South Korea at 7,478, with death toll 53, and a fatality rate of 0.7 percent.
Surprisingly, Italy — a developed country — has the highest fatality rate at 5 percent as of now, with 7,375 confirmed cases and 366 deaths.
Iran with 6,566 cases and 194 deaths has a fatality rate of 3 per cent.
The data suggest that the bulk of people recover from the coronavirus infection. Of the total worldwide cases, 40 percent are currently ill while the bulk, 56.6 percent, have recovered. Only 3.5 percent of the infected died.
The infection is proving deadly for those with existing serious ailments. Of the total number of deaths reported, 10.5 percent had existing cardiovascular disease, while diabetes was present in 7.3 percent others, the chronic respiratory disease was pre-existing in 6.3 percent, 6 percent had abnormally high blood pressure while 5.6 percent had cancer. Only 0.9 percent of deaths were reported among patients who had no prior medical conditions.
While COVID-19 is a novel phenomenon and getting more attention in the mind space, the fatality rate is much lower than other known diseases worldwide. While 56 people are dying every day because of Covid-19, tuberculosis is accounting for 3,014 deaths, hepatitis B 2,430 deaths, pneumonia 2,216 deaths, HIV/AIDS 2,110 deaths, malaria 2,002 deaths, and seasonal flu 1,027 deaths.
Yellow fever, rabies, measles, meningitis, cholera, typhoid, whooping cough, norovirus, rotavirus are all claiming more deaths than coronavirus, as of now.
The average number of people infected by each sick person is 1.5 to 3.5.
According to data, those aged 60 plus are most at risk and the fatality rate goes up with age. A total of 14.8 percent of deaths were reported in China in the 80 plus age group, 8 percent in 70 plus, 3.6 percent in 60 plus, 1.3 percent in 50 plus, 0.4 percent in 40 plus, 0.2 percent in 30 plus, 20 plus and 10-19 age groups.
No fatality is known in the 0-9 age group. This data comes from the first wave of infections in Wuhan, China where lung health is poor and smoking rates are high.
