Study: Patients with underlying health conditions 12 times more likely to die from covid-19

Many rural residents who get covid-19 are at a higher risk of being hospitalized or dying from it, according to newly published data.

Coronavirus patients with underlying health conditions were hospitalized six times more often than otherwise healthy patients during the first four months of the pandemic, and they were 12 times more likely to die, according to federal health data," Kate Queram reports for Route Fifty. "The data, reported by state and territorial health departments and compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covers more than 1.7 million cases of covid-19 and 103,700 deaths, all between Jan. 22 and May 30. The information shows the disproportionate effect the virus continues to have on different groups, including Black and Latino people, the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

The CDC data dovetails with a recently published paper in The Journal of Rural Health that found that rural residents and racial/ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of dying from covid-19, especially those who are both rural and a racial or ethnic minority.