A new calculation says that among detected U.S. cases of COVID-19, 1.3% of patients will die from the virus — but that rate could go up if some key factors change.
U.S. COVID-19 Death Rate Is 1.3%, Study Finds
FRIDAY, May 8, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Among detected cases of COVID-19 in the United States, 1.3% of patients will die from the illness, according to a new calculation. But that rate could increase if current precautions and health care capacities change, the study's author said.
The 1.3% rate calculation is based on cumulative deaths and detected cases across the United States, but it does not account for undetected cases, where a person is infected but shows few or no symptoms, according to researcher Anirban Basu.
If those cases were added into the equation, the overall death rate might drop closer to 1%, Basu said.
He directs the department of pharmacy at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Basu stressed that the current estimates apply "under the assumption that the current supply [as of April 20] of health care services, including hospital beds, ventilators, and access to health care providers, would continue in the future." Declines in the availability of health care services could increase COVID-19 death rates.