A study analyzed deaths from COVID-19 in Korea and found male patients in 70s with chronic cardiac disorder like hypertension were critically affected.

Apparently, most of them had died in average 10 days after the onset COVID-19 symptoms, and their average time to death was unaffected regardless of underlying illness.

First epidemiological report by Korean Society of Infectious Diseases on death due to COVID-19 in Korea

Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (KSID) has investigated 53 deaths, as of Mar. 15, from 7,513 patients infected by coronavirus in Korea and published the outcome on the Journal of Korean Medical Science on Mar. 30 (doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e132).

#Accessing data through Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the researchers conducted a ten-day-long epidemiological investigation on 54 death caused by COVID-19.

The investigation found, as of Mar. 15, total 5,833 cases resulted in death among 156,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world, which recorded 3.7 percent mortality rate. In Korea, the rate was at 0.7 percent with 54 deaths.

On Feb. 19, the 104th confirmed case of COVID-19 in Korea has been deceased and was reported as the first COVID-19 caused death in Korea on the next day. And the 443rd case was the first death reported to have been confirmed positive posthumously on Feb. 21.

Other than the two, the investigators highlighted the 1,443rd case reported on Feb. 27, as the patient was the first death reported during their self-isolation period. On Mar. 3, the 32nd case has reportedly been deceased without an underlying illness.

The investigators also emphasized the descending trend of mortality rate while the number of confirmed cases has exponentially surged since the first death reported. They pointed out it indicates the management over patient with high severity is taking its place.

In fact, on Feb. 20 when the first death was reported, the case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.22 percent. But the CFR was dropped to 0.04 percent, as of Mar. 10.

#And as of 12 a.m. Mar. 30, the COVID-19 CFR in Korea was at 0.7 percent.

Categorized by each region, the number of deaths was highest in Daegu and Northern Gyeongsang Province, where 85 percent of confirmed cases were concentrated in. Daegu along had 38 patients died from COVID-19, but 13 have lost their lives in Northern Gyeongsang Province.

However, the researchers pointed out the statistic figures are not an absolute indicator as a patient from Gangwon Province has died in a Northern Gyeongsang Province hospital, and patients from the Northern Gyeongsang Province have been treated at National Medical Center.

Male patients in 70s with underlying health condition, three key words in COVID-19 death

So who is most vulnerable to COVID-19? First, the investigators set down three key words—70s, male and underlying cardiovascular disorder.

Analyzing critical cases resulted in deaths, the investigation found the median age at death was 75.5. And the mortality rate was higher in male patients at 61.1 percent than in female patients. The most prevalent underlying health condition was cardiovascular disease.

The CFR analysis in the report supports the findings clearly. The CFR in male patients was at 1.16 percent with 33 deaths among 2,852 cases, but the rate was at 0.45 percent in female patients with only 21 deaths within 4,661 cases.

The gap between sexes was even more significant in the older age group. The mortality rate in male patients 60 and over was at 4.73 percent with eight deaths in 592 cases, where as the rate in female patients in the same age group was at 1.88 percent with 19 deaths in 1,013 cases.

# The report claimed the virus-induced death was also closely related to the age group. The CFR in age group of under 20 and 20s to 50s were at zero percent and 0.05 percent, respectively. But from the age group of 50 and up, the CFR was increased to 1.72 percent.

Most of the deaths were reported with underlying health condition. Within 90.7 percent of deaths with underlying illnesses, 59.3 percent of them had cardiac disorder like hypertension, making it the most prevalent underlying disorder followed by diabetes and neurologic disease like dementia.

The median time from onset symptoms to death of the particular patient group was ten days, regardless of their sex. And also the underlying illness has not affected the duration of survival time.

The investigators explained, “Mortality rate is the most crucial indicator to consider when setting the prioritization of infectious disease control. Although it is too early to compare the tendencies with different countries, mortality rate ascending after identifying a mass infection was a meaningful finding.”

“The most vital strategy is to maintain the capability of hospitals treating patients in initial stage to severe state by carefully and appropriately reviewing the disease,” and “As these key words from the investigation are the most significant key words as the mortality rate around the world is surging, an improved response with broader perspective based on them is needed.,” the investigators added.