Scientists from Italy have uncovered an unexpected truth about the death of patients with coronavirus in the province of Lombardy, which is the hardest in the country affected by the pandemic. The results of the study published portal medRxiv.
the Researchers Gianluca Rinaldi (Rinaldi Gianluca) and Matteo Paradisi (Matteo Paradisi) did not use the official statistics. Instead, the scientists analyzed data on testing for SARS-CoV-2. The study area included ten settlements with a total population of about 50 thousand people.
was that from 21 February to 4 April of this year on the investigated territory died 341 people, which is about five times more than the average for previous years. In the beginning of April, the mortality rate did not differ from the usual values, which confirms the statement about the effectiveness of quarantine to combat coronavirus.
Then the specialists studied the results of blood tests in the region, which were held after the lifting of stringent restrictions. In the study area were infected about 40 percent of the population, and in some localities, the figure was 80 percent. The authors of the study indicated that the mortality rate was 1.29 per cent. While among people over 60 years it reached 4.25 per cent.
the Scientists explained that this is lower than in official statistics. However, they cautioned that this does not mean that there is no threat: mortality from COVID-19 order of magnitude higher than that of influenza.
Italy is one of the most affected by coronaviral countries. According to the latest figures, there were nearly 193 thousand cases of infection. Victims of coronavirus infection were almost 26 thousand people, and 60.5 thousand patients have recovered.
