The number of people infected with coronavirus is increasing every day around the world: more than 440,000 cases and more than 20,000 deaths have been recorded. The situation is hardly better in France which deplores nearly 23,000 contaminations and 1,100 deaths. Who is affected? Who dies from it? The over 60s, young people? Men, women? Zoom on the standard profile (age, sex, risky disease) of a Covid-19 victim.
[Mis à jour le jeudi 26 mars à 9h50] The number of coronavirus cases in France is increasing every day: more than 22,000 contaminations have been reported and the country deplores 1 331 deaths as of March 25. The country has moved to stage 3 of the epidemic since Saturday March 14. Who is affected by this pandemic? Who dies from it? To be able to protect yourself better, it is important to know the profile of people at risk. Age, sex, diseases at risk … Robot portrait of the victims of Covid-19.
Among the cases confirmed and isolated on March 24 in France:
- 22,302 people are hospitalized, including 2,516 serious cases, in intensive care. of which 34% are under 60 and 58% are between 60 and 80 Serious forms are mostly reported in elderly or frail people (immuno-deficient, with co-morbidities) but also in adults without previous pathologies.
- 1,100 died in hospital: 93% of cases aged 65 or over.
- The severe forms are mainly seen in adults with a median at 60 years.
- Significant increase in all-cause deaths among people over 65 in the departments: Haut-Rhin, Oise, Vosges and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Here is the age distribution of the confirmed cases of Covid-19 to March 24, 2020 reported to Santé publique France:
| Age classes | Under 15 | 15-44 years | 45-64 years | 65-74 years | 75 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed cases | 167 (1.3%) | 3,882 (30.6%) | 4,204 (33.1%) | 1,778 (14%) | 2,675 (21.1%) |
In addition, during his press briefing on March 10, Professor Jérôme Salomon clarified that “The people affected by the coronavirus are not those who are conventionally affected by the flu”.
2% of those infected are children or adolescents. Dr. Pierre Parneix, public health doctor expert on the Covid-19 explains that most of them are not very symptomatic, even carriers of the virus without even knowing it. “On the other hand, they can be vectors of the disease, hence the importance of not bringing them into a community of fragile people, such as retirement homes and of teaching them to wash their hands frequently” insists the specialist. None have presented serious forms and none has died to date in France.
• In France, men account for 57% of deaths. The average age of the deceased is 81.2 years. Among all the deaths reported to Public Health France as of March 24, 56.8% had at least one potential risk factor for complications from Covid-19. Only 2.4% of deceased patients are under the age of 65 and have no comorbidity.
| Sex | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Breakdown of deceased persons by sex | 57% | 43% |
| Age | 0-14 years | 15-44 years | 45-64 years | 65-74 years | 75 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakdown of deceased persons by age | 0 | 1% | 6.3% | 14.4% | 78.3% |
| Risk factors | With comorbidities | Without comorbidities |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution of deceased persons according to co-morbidities | 57% | 43% |
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• In fact, among the deaths recorded in France on March 10:
- an 80 year old Chinese patient in Paris,
- a 60 year old French teacher in the Oise,
- an 89 year old woman in Compiègne.
- a 92-year-old man in Morbihan.
- a 73 year old in the Oise and a other 64 years old from Aisne.
- an 83 year old woman and resident in nursing homes in Crépy-en-Valois in the Oise.
- A 86 year old man living in Méry-sur-Oise.
- A 81 year old man, originally from Savoy, and a 76 year old woman coming from the Rhône, another person who died in Drôme whose age has not been indicated.
- A 94 year old woman and originally from the Vosges.
- A 89 year old man at Ajaccio hospital.
- A 51 year old policeman died on March 25 in his barracks in Maisons-Alfort (Val-de-Marne)
The above list is obviously far from exhaustive. As of March 25, 2020, 1,331 people died of coronavirus in France in hospital, according to figures provided by the Director General of Health.
• Mortality rate of the virus: The lethality rate of coronavirus differs from that of SARS (virus responsible for a serious epidemic in 2002-2003 and which is 80% genetically identical to the new coronavirus): “For the Sras we consider that 10% of those who were infected died. With this new coronavirus, the clinical estimate is 2%. For the influenza we are rather around 1 per 1000” said Professor Arnaud Fontanet of the Institut Pasteur during a round table in the Senate on February 26, 2020. These figures may be revised with the evolution of the epidemic.
• The underlying diseases that increase the risk of death
A Chinese study * shows that the presence of cardiovascular illnesses would increase the risk of mortality by 10.5%, a diabetes 7.3%, a chronic respiratory disease (like COPD) of 6.3%, a hypertension by 6%, a Cancer 5.6%. The mortality rate in people with these diseases is almost three times more important than in the total population. We can conclude from these figures that men over 70 and already sick are most vulnerable to Covid-19, and must be extra vigilant to guard against it.
• In Italy, men account for 70% of deaths. The average age is 79.5 years, according to data from the Higher Institute of Health (ISS)
| For people with cancer: the League against cancer has set up a toll free number (0800 940 939) to answer questions from the sick. “You are in treatment. Many of these treatments can weaken your immune defenses and weaken you. However, you should not interrupt your treatment”, recommends the association which publishes a list of advice on its site. |
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* The Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Emergency Response Epidemiology Team. The Epidemiological Characteristics of an Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) – China, 2020[J]. China CDC Weekly, 2020, 2 (8): 113-122.
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