Even with case counts and death toll in the U.S., many Americans have clung to the hope that if they did get the coronavirus, the disease would pass quickly or even asymptomatically. However, a new study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that a large percentage of the US may be more susceptible than previously thought.
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40% of American adults are susceptible to severe COVID-19, according to a new CDC study
Referring to the self-reported data from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and population data from the US Census, the CDC found that 40.7 percent of Americans age 18 and older are a pre-existing health condition that makes them more susceptible to severe forms of COVID. 19) Those health conditions include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart conditions, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and obesity. Based on data from COVID-19 patients cited in the study, people with these conditions are six times more likely to be hospitalized, five times more likely to be admitted to the ICU, and 12 times more likely to die from the disease.
The data comes from 437,500 adults in all counties in the U.S., so the researchers were able to identify broader patterns by region. They noted that while the estimated number of people with underlying conditions was higher in “population-dense metropolitan areas,” the conditions were more commonly found in rural non-metropolitan areas. “The counties with the highest prevalences of any condition were concentrated in the southeastern states,” the researchers wrote, “particularly in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia, as well as some counties in Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Northern Michigan. ” Many of the aforementioned southern states, including Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana, have seen a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in recent months.
A previous study of the Teen Mental Health Magazine It showed that young adults in particular have a one in three chance of being vulnerable to severe COVID-19, although the highest risk factor for that age group was smoking. Previous studies have also shown that black, Latino, and indigenous people have been disproportionately affected by the disease for various reasons linked to historical systemic racism.
As the US case count surpasses the 4 million mark, the new study serves as another reminder that coronavirus can seriously affect the health of many Americans. Wearing a mask and social distancing can not only slow the general spread of the virus, but also protect those around you who may be vulnerable to serious health consequences.
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