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Is coronavirus deadly?

Updated on: March 18th, 2020

Yes, about 2% of people with the COVID-19 have died. That’s compared to about 0.1% mortality for the flu.

Older people and those with existing medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop a serious illness that leads to pneumonia and makes it difficult to breathe.

The majority of people who have had the disease, 80%, have had mild symptoms and haven’t required hospital care, said Dr. Roberto Posada, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York City.

“Unfortunately, 20% of infected people develop more significant disease,” he noted. “Most of those who have died have been older adults.”

People who start feeling sicker several days into the disease should seek medical attention, Azar noted.

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