Coronavirus:  hypertension and diabetes top underlying conditions in Covid-19 patients

For data valid up until April 14, some 44 per cent of those diagnosed as Covid-19 carriers had one or more underlying ailments, the latest official epidemiological bulletin has shown.

The weekly bulletin, released Thursday, said that data regarding pre-existing ailments in coronavirus cases were available on 80.9 per cent of confirmed carriers. Of these, 44 per cent (or 248 persons) had one or more underlying ailment.

By prevalence, the most common underlying ailments were: hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, and malignancies.

Other reported pre-existing conditions were chronic kidney disease, autoimmune diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The median age of all cases by April 14 was 47 years.

Overall, 21.5 per cent of confirmed cases had received hospital treatment, of which 58 per cent had already been discharged by April 14. The median age of all patients being treated in hospital was 63.

At the time of diagnosis, clinical information was available on 95.4 per cent of confirmed coronavirus carriers, of whom 26.2 per cent cited no symptoms and 73.8 per cent cited at least one symptom.

In aggregate, 27 patients (or 18 per cent of those receiving hospital treatment) were admitted to ICU, of whom 14 (or 9.3 of those receiving hospital treatment) were still in ICU up until April 14.

The median age of persons admitted to ICU was 69. The number of patients in critical condition (in ICU) stood at 1.6 per 100,000 population.

The mode of exposure to the virus was known in 82.4 per cent of all cases.

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