The second wave of coronavirus hits younger people. It has already been pointed out by several professionals and is now confirmed by data published by the Ministry of Health of the Nation: as of April 2021, 56.3% of patients admitted to intensive care in national hospitals are under the age of 60. The same trend is in other countries in the region, such as Chile, Brazil, Paraguay and Perú.De that percentage, 43.8% correspond to over 60s, 44.8% for the group between 40 and 60 and 11.5% for the group between the age of 15 and 40. In addition, in intermediate therapy the situation is repeated with 40% occupancy of over 60; 50.7% for the age group between 40 and 60 and 9.3% for the group between 15 and 40 years old.
The average age of inpatients was 53 ± 8 years.
In addition, in intermediate therapy the situation is repeated with 40% occupancy of over 60s; 50.7% for the age group between 40 and 60; and 9.3% to the group between the age of 15 and 40.” The pattern coincides with the results of a study by the Argentine Society of Intensive Therapy (SATI) that yielded ‘high bed occupancy to the prevalence of young patients with severe COVID-19 carriers, with a high requirement for mechanical respiratory care and prono position’ (face down)”, reported the health portfolio. The data are from a nationwide survey involving 163 intensive care units (52% public and 48% private), representing 3,332 beds nationwide. The average age of inpatients on the day of the study (April 16) was 53 ± 8 years, the SATI said. However, most of the deceased are still over the age of 60, said the National Director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, Analía Rearte, who predicted “a couple more weeks of tension” ahead. “The decline is very incipient,” he said. The regional situation
On Monday, PAHO/WHO indicated that while the number of internments in intensive care units (ICU) and deaths were higher in older adults and those with comorities, “overall there is a change in the age profile of hospitalized cases, and hospitalized in ICU, with a higher rate of hospitalization in the younger population”. At the regional level, PAHO’s alert mentions the cases of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, which record “the increase in severity in the population under 60 years of age”. According to the report, in Brazil, when comparing the highest hospitalization rate in 2020 (July 13) with the highest rate in 2021 (March 10), it is observed that children under 39 years of age, and groups of 40-49 years as well as those of 50-59 years, doubled the value of hospitalization rates. The largest percentage increase was recorded in the 40-49 age group (56%), followed by children under 39 years of age (53%) and the 50-59 year old group (51%). Among adults over 60 years of age the increase was less than 32%. With regard to mortality rates, the report notes that brazil has seen an increase since the beginning of last December in all age groups, and that the highest mortality rate in older adults is maintained in a range of between 1.8 per 100 thousand inhabitants and 142.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants (March 2021). In children under 39 years the range is from 0.0 to 2.9 per 100 thousand inhabitants; while in the group of 40-49 years from 0.2 to 19.4 per 100 thousand inhabitants in and in the group of 50-59 years from 0.3 to 41.6 per 100 thousand inhabitants. However, comparing mortality rates recorded in December 2020 with those of March 2021 shows that while in older adults it doubled, in children under 39 years of age and in the 40-49 age group it quadrupled while in the 50-59 age group tripled. The situation is replicated in Chile. Since mid-March, the 50-59 group has had a higher rate than older adults, while in children under 49 the rate tripled with increases of 71% and 65% in children under 39 and in the 40-49 age group, respectively. In the 50-59 year group, meanwhile, the rate doubled. As a counterface, in the same period, the group of over-60s had an 8% decrease in the hospitalization rate in ICU. In Paraguay, the mortality rates of March 2021 are the highest recorded since the first deaths in Paraguay, in all age groups. Comparing the mortality rates of December 2020 with the March 2021 rates, it was observed that age groups of 50-59 years and over 60 rates doubled, where as in children under 39 the mortality rate tripled and in the 40-49 age group quintuplicFinally, in Peru, comparing the mortality rates recorded in December 2020 with the rates recorded in March 2021, it was observed that both in children under 39 years of age and in those of 60 and more rates tripled with a relative increase of 66 and 67 % respectively. While groups of 40-49 years and 50-59 years those rates quadrupled and increased by 73% and 77% respectively.
In this note:
