Although going off the mortality rate does not give us the full picture and it is a little bit morbid to say the least it does give us a look at which demographic is at the most risk.
| AGE | DEATH RATE confirmed cases |
DEATH RATE* |
|---|---|---|
| 80+ years old | 21.9% | 14.8% |
| 70-79 years old | 8.0% | |
| 60-69 years old | 3.6% | |
| 50-59 years old | 1.3% | |
| 40-49 years old | 0.4% | |
| 30-39 years old | 0.2% | |
| 20-29 years old | 0.2% | |
| 10-19 years old | 0.2% | |
| 0-9 years old | no fatalities |
Who is most at risk according to the known demographics?
The highest death rates are ages 60 and above, males are dying at almost twice the rate of women, 2.8% compared to 1.7% and the table below shows the pre-existing conditions that are the most at risk.
How does that help us? Well we know based on the profile of the people that are most at risk that you really want to do your best to keep the elderly and anybody with pre-existing conditions as far away from possible infection as possible. Youth seems to be the best protection against this strain of Corona virus as there are almost zero cases of people under 20 succumbing it’s death grip.
| PRE-EXISTING CONDITION | DEATH RATE confirmed cases |
DEATH RATE* |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular disease | 13.2% | 10.5% |
| Diabetes | 9.2% | 7.3% |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 8.0% | 6.3% |
| Hypertension | 8.4% | 6.0% |
| Cancer | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| no pre-existing conditions | 0.9% |
What are some of the things you can do to keep yourself isolated?
- Stay away from the public in general,
- Wash your hands after being out in the public,
- Minimise handling of community property such as bank notes, coins, hand rails, park benches, restaurant tables etcetera,
- Cook more at home and eat less home delivered food,
- Where a mask,
- Minimise hugs, handshakes, kisses,
- Get tested.
How long can the virus live outside of it’s host?
Scientists have tested similar viruses, such as SARS and MERS and there are varying opinions on how long they can live and be infectious on these surfaces. The general opinion is that on harder smoother surfaces such as glass and metal the life span is from 48 to 72 hours but there also opinions that at room temperature it could be as much as 9 days. So if you are out and about be aware of what you are touching with your bare hands, face and so on. A simple way to keep sanitised is to use an alcohol gel on your hands.
If you are living abroad you should make sure that you have up to date health insurance that will give you choice of hospital, medical evacuation and a substantial upper limit to the amount of medical attention you are covered for. You can get yourself a quote here for Expat Underground health insurance for Expats, Cruisers and Travelers.