8 in 10 Coronavirus-Related Deaths in U.S. Involve Older Adults: CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this week that up to eight in every 10 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States have involved adults 65 and older, with up to 70 percent of Americans requiring hospitalization 85 and older, reports Fox News . Intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and deaths from the virus support health officials' assertions that seniors, those with underlying health issues, and immunocompromised individuals are most at risk for developing complications from COVID-19. Up to 29 percent of persons requiring ICU care for COVID-19 were 85 or older, and 31 percent were 65 and 84 years old. Between 10 percent and 27 percent of adults who died after contracting the virus were 85 or older, and 4 percent to 11 percent were 65 to 84. As of Thursday, COVID-19-related illness was confirmed in more than 10,750 Americans and had resulted in at least 154 deaths. Nursing homes and other care communities have been on high alert since an outbreak in Washington state put senior residents at risk and led to at least 30 deaths. "We know that there is a risk that people who appear healthy will enter nursing homes and assisted living communities and still infect residents," said American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living President Mark Parkinson.