The number of patients affected by the Covid 19 continues to explode worldwide, but also in France, which reports 44,000 contaminations and 3,024 deaths. Who dies the most? Over 60s or on the contrary young people? Rather men or women? Zoom on the standard profile (age, sex, co-morbidities) of a coronavirus victim.
[Mis à jour le mardi 31 mars à 10h05] Every day, the number of coronavirus cases increases significantly in France: more than 44,000 contaminations have been recorded and the country deplores 3,024 death to date. The country has moved to stage 3 of the epidemic since Saturday March 14. Certain sections of the population, such as people over 70 or those with cardiovascular or respiratory pathologies, are more at risk of being infected with the virus. They are also the subject of specific recommendations, such as a ban on visiting Ehpads or one of the outings limited to the strict minimum (isolation at home). However, severe forms of Covid-19 also exist in young, healthy people. So who is affected by this pandemic? Who dies the most? At what age ? Who are the youngest victims? 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. “Severe forms in young people are extremely rare”, says Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health in his update on March 25. 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 (they are said to be healthy carriers). “However, they can be disease vectors, 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 well frequently “ insists the specialist.
Among the youngest victims:
- March 25, 2020, a 16 year old girl died of coronavirus contamination at Necker-Enfants Malades hospital in Paris. He is the first minor victim in France.
- March 28, 2020, a baby under one year old died of a Covid-19 infection in the United States, announced Illinois state authorities. It is the first infant death of the virus in the United States.
- March 29, 2020, a 14 year old Portuguese teenager infected with Covid-19 died at São Sebastião hospital in Santa Maria da Feira, 30 km south of Porto. He is the youngest victim in Europe.
• In France, men account for 57% of deaths. The average age of the deceased is 81.2 years. We see that almost 80% of victims of the new coronavirus in France were 75 years old and over. 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 31, 2020, 3,024 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.
• Diseases at risk
Certain underlying diseases increase the risk of developing a serious form of Covid-19 infection. In a notice of March 10, 2020, the High Council of Public Health listed these risky pathologies:
- Cardiovascular illnesses (complicated hypertension, stroke, coronary artery disease, history of heart surgery, NYHA III or IV stage heart failure)
- Diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetics who are unbalanced or have complications secondary to their pathology)
- Chronic respiratory diseases (asthma, cystic fibrosis …)
- Chronic renal failure
- Cancers (people on treatment)
- Cirrhosis at least stage B
- HIV infection uncontrolled
- Morbid obesity (BMI greater than 40kg / m²)
• 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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