HOUSTON – You’ve heard it over and over that people with underlying conditions get hit harder with coronavirus. These are the people who often end up very ill, even hospitalized.
In its first report looking at underlying health conditions that could make COVID-19 worse, the CDC analyzed data from confirmed cases in every state for the last month.
What they found is people with chronic lung disease (like people who smoke, those with asthma and COPD), heart disease and diabetes (which 14% of all Texans have) were at an increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
This made up about about 78% of ICU patients.
The longer patients remain in ICU, the higher the chances of having long-term physical and cognitive effects.
This data actually matches what’s been released from China and Italy, so if you think that’s a reliable comparison, the good news is, both of those countries currently have no new cases of coronavirus.
The CDC said these findings mean if you’re in this population, you should only leave your house to seek medical care until the virus is under control.
