Coronavirus has been 12 times more deadly for people with underlying conditions, CDC says
People with chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabeteswere hospitalized six times more often than otherwise healthy individuals infected with the coronavirus during the first four months of the pandemic, and they died 12 times more often, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data are consistent with earlier reports showing the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on people with underlying medical conditions. The report also highlighted the disease’s stark disparities between whites and minority groups.
More than 114,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the United States, and nearly 2.1 million cases have been reported.
Here are some significant developments:
- The Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus patients.
- Top Federal Reserve officials are urging Congress to spend more on coronavirus relief. “We can’t wait 10 years for an economic recovery to reach everyone,” San Francisco Fed President Mary C. Daly said. “Inclusive growth is faster growth — and it will pay for itself in the long run.”
- In a swift turnaround, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred now says he’s “not confident” there will be a 2020 season.
- The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will be delayed until April 25, 2021, the latest alteration made to award season as the industry continues to grapple with the pandemic.
- Twenty-seven states reported a seven-day case average higher as of Sunday than their average a week ago, including Arizona, Georgia and Texas, according to a Washington Post data analysis.
- Beijing has set about testing hundreds of thousands of people for the coronavirus in an exhaustive effort to stamp out a new eruption of the disease in the Chinese capital. The worldwide coronavirus death toll has passed 432,000.