The new Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has now engulfed the entire world. Hundreds of cases are coming up every day. However, China, where it all began seems to have controlled its spread. But new patients are increasing every day in Europe and the US. Amidst all this, scientists from the Kaiser Family Foundation, an NGO, have expressed great concern about the US in a new study.
According to this study, more than 100 million people in the US are at a high risk of falling seriously ill if they contract COVID-19. This is due to pre-existing conditions in these people.
Elderly people are among the "higher at-risk"
According to the report, out of these 100 million people, more than 70 million people are aged 60 years or above. Of these, 1.3 million people living in nursing homes are particularly at risk.
In the report, American health expert Wyatt Koma and his fellow scientists estimated that four out of every 10 Americans are at risk of a major health hazard if they are exposed to the coronavirus. Koma says, "So these estimates suggest that we need more efforts to stop the virus from spreading."
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What is the reason?
The WHO states that most people who are under the influence of the coronavirus either do not have any symptoms or will recover on their own. But what is worrying for America is that 41 percent of the total adult population (25.8 million as of 2018) falls in the category, which is already suffering from some prior health problem.
Based on national-level data and information from the US government health agency CDC, researchers found that there was a higher risk of disease among the elderly aged 60 years or older. At the same time, youth and adults between 18 and 59 years of age may also be at increased risk due to other diseases. These include cancer, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory diseases. However, researchers could not ascertain data related to hypertension.
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In the report, Koma says that if the researchers also added hypertension patients among the higher at-risk people, this number would have crossed 100 million. According to the American Heart Association, one out of every three Americans is suffering from hypertension.
More than 4,700 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US
This report comes at a time when hundreds of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in America. Efforts to stop the spread of this deadly virus seem to have been insufficient so far. According to the latest reports, more than 4,700 people have been exposed to COVID-19 in the US so far. Only 74 people have recovered, and 93 have died so far.
Finally, do not forget to follow our live-tracker of COVID-19 cases in India