Let’s assume a worst-case scenario for you. You have been told you have the coronavirus. What do the demographics show us regarding age, sex, etc.? We hear that if you are over 60 or 65 years of age, then the worst-case scenario becomes a worst-worst-case scenario.
I used the WorldOMeter.info for my statistics. I have also Googled several other sites to see if I can find anything conflicting with the data that I have been using in my blogs/articles.
The latest assessment of Age, Sex, Existing Conditions of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths is for 29FEB20. Their information comes from the World Health Organization – China Joint Mission and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The fatality rate for those over 80 years of age is 14.8%. For those between 70 and 79 years of age, the fatality rate is 8%. For those between 60 and 69 years of age, the death rate is 3.6%. For those 50 to 59 years of age, the death rate is 1.3%. For those in the 40-49-year-old category, the fatality rate is 0.4%. Everybody below 40 years of age has a death rate of 0.2%. So far, no one below 10 years of age has died of the coronavirus.
To quickly recap that data, if you are 50 years of age or below, your chance of surviving the coronavirus is 97.7%. If you are older than 60, your survival chances are 77.2%. Feeling lucky today?
Is it better off to be male or female? The overall fatality rate for males (all ages) is 2.8% and for females (all ages) is 1.7%. Males over 60 years of age have a higher mortality rate than females over 60 years of age.
Pre-existing conditions task our immune systems – our last line of defense against the coronavirus. If you have cardiovascular disease, the death rate stands at 10.5%. For diabetes, the death rate is 7.3%. What surprised me was the death rate for those with chronic respiratory disease stands at 6.3%. I thought this group would be more susceptible to the coronavirus.
Those with hypertension (high blood pressure) are looking at a 6% mortality rate. Cancer patients have a 5.6% death rate from the coronavirus. No pre-existing conditions have people at the 0.9% fatality rate.
Does this mean that you can go around hugging everyone and shaking their hands? No! Please don’t do that. Does it mean that you must freak out when someone you know is diagnosed with the coronavirus? No, again.
The 14.8% death rate for those over 80 years of age includes the pre-existing conditions. Many of those are under some type of medical care and living in assisted living. How many people over 80 years of age and have no medical issues? I don’t know. I’ll be there soon enough. I’ve never been on any prescription medicines (and don’t plan to be either).
I do a 72-hour-fast every month (or attempt to every month – I might have missed maybe one month this past year) to supercharge my immune system. Can I still catch the coronavirus? Yes, it is possible. Would I worry about imminent death because I caught it? No, I would not.
There is a lot of hype about this bug with no symptoms attacking everywhere within breathable air and infecting them with a potential fate worst than death (or, maybe, just death). We all know the routine to avoid the risk – stay away from others, wash our hands, etc.
Take better care of yourself than you would take care of a family member or best friend. It’s like the airline industry announcements, put your oxygen face mask on first before helping others to get oxygen in the event of an emergency. You can control your environment better than your local, state, or federal government.
Live Longer & Enjoy Life – Red O’Laughlin