COVID-19 linked with far higher death, hospitalization rate than fluCompared with the 2014 to 2019 flu seasons, COVID-19's effect in March and April 2020 resulted in a dramatically higher rate of deaths, mechanical ventilation procedures, and hospitalizations at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine late last week.The researchers looked at 1,634 hospitalized patients, 582 with COVID-19 (median age, 66) and 1,052 with influenza (median age, 68).
On average, 210 patients were admitted to BIDMC each week from March to April 2020, compared with 210 patients per week during each 8-month flu season.