Nearly half of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients in Detroit, Michigan, infected with the novel coronavirus died, a new study suggests.
The team, from Henry Ford Hospital System, says the findings show that minorities are at higher risk of serious complications and death not just from pre-existing conditions but socioeconomic factors such as a large number of non-white Americans working in essential jobs, putting themselves at greater risk of falling ill.
For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, the team looked at 463 patients with coronavirus evaluated at Henry Ford Health System from March 9 to March 27.
ICU patients were more likely than those on the general floors to be men, above age 60, and have pre-existing conditions, mostly obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
Length of stay between the two groups was also different, about 15 days for ICU patients compared to five days for general patients.
