A report published April 22, 2020 in the Journal of the American Medical Association says COVID-19 patients admitted to 12 New York hospitals with comorbidities, or underlying health conditions, have died at a rate of more than 20%.

The hospitals were in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York.  The 5,700 patients were admitted between March 1 and April 4, 2020.   Of the 2,634 patients who were discharged or died, 14.2% were treated in the intensive care unit, 12.2% received invasive mechanical ventilation, 3.2% were treated with kidney replacement therapy, and 21% died.

The most common comorbidities, or underlying health conditions,  were hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.  The median age of the patients was 63, and 39.7% were female.

Click here for the study.  During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Journal of the American Medical Association is making related articles available to the public at no charge.

A number of studies are also looking at why men are dying from COVID-19 at a higher rate than women, as reported by Global Health 5050, housed at the University College London.   It appears there are several factors, including that women’s immune systems generally respond to viruses better, but also that men have a higher rate of smoking, alcohol use, and heart and lung disease.   Men also tend to delay seeking health care longer than women do.