The
country's high death toll is due to an ageing population, overstretched health
system and the way fatalities are reported.
Of
the 47,000 people confirmed coronavirus patients in Italy, 4,032 so far have
died - with a record increase of 627 in the last 24 hours.
By
contrast china has almost twice as many cases ,81,250, but 3,253 fatalities
In very crude terms, this means that around eight per cent of confirmed
coronavirus patients have died in Italy, compared to four per cent in China. By
this measure Germany, which has so far
identified 13,000 cases and 42 deaths, has a fatality rate of just
0.3 percent.
So Why the disparity?
According to Prof Walter Ricciardi, scientific adviser to Italy’s
minister of health, the country’s mortality rate is far higher due to
demographics - the nation has the second oldest population worldwide - and the
manner in which hospitals record deaths.
|
Country
|
cases
|
deaths
|
%age
|
Median
age
|
|
china
|
81,303
|
3,259
|
4
|
67
|
|
Italy
|
47,021
|
4,032
|
8
|
46
|
|
Spain
|
21,571
|
1,093
|
5
|
|
|
Iran
|
20,610
|
1,556
|
7.5
|
|
|
Germany
|
20,046
|
69
|
0.3
|
|
|
USA
|
19,774
|
275
|
1.4
|
|
|
France
|
12,632
|
450
|
3.5
|
|
|
South ko
|
8,799
|
102
|
1
|
|
|
uK
|
3,983
|
177
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A study in JAMA this week found that almost 40 per cent of infections and 87
per cent of deaths in the country have been in patients over 70 years old.