NYC Health Department: Overwhelming Majority of Coronavirus Deaths Involve Underlying Conditions

Data released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Wednesday revealed that the vast majority of coronavirus patients, who were treated at NYC facilities but ultimately died as a result of the virus, had at least one underlying health condition.

The data, which reflects events and activities as of April 1, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. ET, showed that the majority of coronavirus-related deaths in the city — 1,139 based on the data provided in the release —  involved individuals with underlying illnesses or conditions. Those, according to NYC Health, include lung disease, cancer, diabetes, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease, and GI/ liver disease.

The data set divides the groups in three categories — age, sex, and borough. It reflected the broader trend of the coronavirus having a more devastating impact on individuals 75 and over. However, it also revealed that, across every age group, the majority of those who passed away as a result of the virus had some type of underlying health condition.

Of the 66 individuals between the ages of 18-44 who passed away due to the coronavirus, only two had no record of underlying health conditions. Forty-four had underlying conditions, and another 20 are listed as “Underlying Conditions Pending.”

Of the 271 persons between the ages of 45 and 64, 189 are listed as definitively having underlying health conditions, with 73 remaining under the pending category. Nine in that group had no known underlying illness.

The results hold steady for those who fell into the 65-74 age group, with 197 of the 268 who passed away also having at least one underlying condition. Seventy-one are pending.

The majority of those 75 and older who died as a result of the virus, 358 of 533, were also listed as having an underlying medical condition. Only three had no known underlying issue, and the remaining 172 are pending results.

NYC Health reported 44,915 confirmed cases of the virus in the city as of Wednesday morning.