In a rare piece of good news about Covid-19, a team of infectious disease experts calculates that the fatality rate in people who have symptoms of the disease caused by the new coronavirus is about 1.4%. Although that estimate applies specifically to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, and is based on data from there, it offers a guide to the rest of the world, where many countries might see even lower death rates.<\/p>\n
The new figure is significantly below earlier estimates of 2% or 3% and well below the death rate for China based on simply dividing deaths by cases<\/a>, which yields almost 4%. While it is still higher than the average 0.1% death rate from seasonal flu, it raises hopes that the worst consequence of the coronavirus will be uncommon.<\/p>\n Cutting against that optimism is the expectation that, because no one was immune to the new virus, \u201cthe majority of the population will be infected\u201d absent the quick arrival of a vaccine or drastic public health interventions such as closing public places and canceling public events, the scientists conclude in a paper<\/a> submitted to a journal but not yet peer-reviewed.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lower death rate estimates for coronavirus, especially for non-elderly, provide glimmer of hope https:\/\/t.co\/Nc5fValr1o<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 STAT (@statnews) March 17, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n