COVID19 and Special Populations
- Children
- A recent study from China showed only 1% of infections were in children <9 years old[1]
- The same study showed only 1% of infections were in children 10-19 years old
- Mortality increases with age
- There have been no reported deaths in children less than 9 y/o
- Children 10-19 years old have a 0.2% fatality rate
- Schools in Japan have been closed for one month as of March 2nd through April 2020 [2]
- China and Hong Kong have also closed schools
- Geriatrics
- Elderly patients appear to have the greatest risk of complications and mortality
- 50-59 y/o has 1.3% mortality
- 60-69 y/o has 3.6% mortality
- 70-79 y/o has 8% mortality
- 80 and above y/o has 14.8% mortality
- The US has a population aged over 65 of 49.2 million in 2016[3]
- The US has 12.6 million people over the Age of 80[4]
- Pregnancy[5]
- Currently there is no published scientific reports about susceptibility of pregnant women to COVID-19
- Pregnant women experience immunologic and physiologic changes which might make them more susceptible to viral respiratory infections
- Pregnant women also might be at risk for severe illness, morbidity, or mortality compared to the general population as observed in cases of other related coronavirus infections
- There is currently no data on breastfeeding and communication of COVID-19 via breastmilk
- In limited studies on women with COVID-19 and another coronavirus infection, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), the virus has not been detected in breast milk
[1] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762130
[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51663182
[3] https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Aging%20and%20Disability%20in%20America/2017OlderAmericansProfile.pdf
[4] https://medium.com/@amwren/forget-about-the-death-rate-this-is-why-you-should-be-worried-about-the-coronavirus-890fbf9c4de6
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/pregnancy-faq.html
