CDC: COVID-19 Cases With Diabetes, Lung Disease, Cardiovascular Disease at Higher Risk

More Than 100 Million Americans Have Diabetes or Prediabetes

Workers prepare dozens of extra medical beds as they are delivered to Mount Sinai Hospital amid the CCP virus pandemic in New York City on March 31, 2020. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease have a higher risk of succumbing to the CCP virus or being admitted to a hospital intensive care unit.

“Based on preliminary U.S. data, persons with underlying health conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease, appear to be at higher risk for severe COVID-19-associated disease than persons without these conditions,” the agency wrote in a report on Tuesday, referring to COVID-19, the condition caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, a novel coronavirus that emerged in mainland China last year.

The percentage of COVID-19 patients with at least one preexisting health problem or risk factor was higher for those who needed care in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and also higher for those who needed hospitalization without being admitted to the ICU than those who did not require hospitalization, the agency said.

According to the CDC, about 78 percent of patients admitted to the ICU and 71 percent who were hospitalized without ICU treatment had “at least one underlying health condition or risk factor.”

“The most commonly reported conditions were diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease,” the agency reiterated. “These preliminary findings suggest that in the United States, persons with underlying health conditions or other recognized risk factors for severe outcomes from respiratory infections appear to be at a higher risk for severe disease from COVID-19 than are persons without these conditions.”

The CDC said in 2017 that more than 30 million Americans have diabetes while another 84 million have prediabetes, which is a condition that often leads to type 2 diabetes.

A body wrapped in plastic that was unloaded from a refrigerated truck is handled by medical workers wearing personal protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City on March 31, 2020. John Minchillo/AP Photo

For patients aged 19 or younger, “the percentage of cases that resulted in an ICU admission was also higher for those with underlying health conditions (13.3 percent –14.5 percent ) than those without these conditions (2.2 percent –2.4 percent),” the CDC said in its report published Tuesday.

The agency said it obtained data from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported from all 50 states, the U.S. capital, New York City, and other areas between Feb. 12 and March 28. Meanwhile, cases among persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China—where the virus originated before CCP mismanagement and cover-up efforts led to a global pandemic—and the Diamond Princess cruise ship were not included.

“Persons with underlying health conditions who have symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath, should immediately contact their health care provider,” the CDC recommended, adding that they “should take steps to protect themselves from COVID-19, through washing their hands; cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces; and social distancing, including staying at home, avoiding crowds, gatherings, and travel, and avoiding contact with persons who are ill.”

These individuals should also maintain at least a 30-day supply of medication, a two-week supply of groceries, two weeks of other supplies, according to the CDC.

People who work with persons with underlying health problems or who are at a high risk of succumbing to the CCP virus should stay home if they are sick unless it is to seek medical care, the agency said.