Data from the McLean County Health Department (MCHD) show a much greater risk of dying from COVID-19 the older someone is.A person who tests positive for the coronavirus under age 50 has about a 1 in 2,000 chance of dying, based on county data through the first 12 months of the pandemic. That ratio drops to 1 in 24 for people over age 50 and it falls to 1 in 4 for people who reach age 90.
The health department reported 14,474 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic through the end of February and 170 deaths.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), nearly three-fourths of deaths (124) are tied to long-term care facilities in McLean County.
December and January were by far the most deadly, with 51 fatalities reported in both months. February saw a significant drop with 18 deaths.
A majority of the coronavirus cases in McLean County involved from people under age 40, but they have been most likely to avoid death or hospitalization. However, there have been cases where children have suffered longer-term health effects.
The four youngest people to die of COVID-19 in McLean County were in their 30s and one person was in their 40s, according to the county.
The county has had eight COVID-related deaths of people in their 50s.
From there, the numbers start to climb. Eight people in their 50s have died from among 1,644 cases, which equates to 1 in 206 suspected or probable cases resulting in death.
For people in their 60s, the ratio grows to 1 in 67 as 18 people have died from among 1,199 COVID positives.
There have been more deaths among people in their 70s, despite having about half as many cases as those a decade younger. About 1 in 20 coronavirus cases among 70-year-olds in McLean County has resulted in death.
The mortality rate is much greater for coronavirus patients once they reach 80. About one in six people in their 80s who tested positive for the virus in McLean County have died.
Laurie Round, chief nursing officer at Carle BroMenn and Carle Eureka hospitals, said the data is consistent with what Carle hospitals have seen over the last year.
“Older people are much more likely to have a chronic health problem than younger individuals and have pre-existing health conditions and that’s linked to more severe cases of COVID-19,” Round said.
For example, Round said someone who has a weaker heart is more likely to suffer from the effects of fever, low oxygen levels, unstable blood pressures and blood clotting disorders than someone whose heart is healthy.
Paul Pedersen, chief medical officer at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, said major risk factors include obesity, heart disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes and cancer.
“Any of the immuno-compromised conditions, they all significantly increase the risk of you dying from COVID," Pedersen said.
Pedersen noted another factor that greatly impacts a patient’s likelihood of survival is when they got COVID-19.
He said medical professionals know much more about how to treat COVID patients now than they did in the early stages of the pandemic.
“That’s a pretty good estimation of how we have progressed in being able to take care of patients with this disease,” Pedersen said. “We have a better idea of how to do things that certainly help.”
For example, Pedersen said the realization that having patients lie on their stomach helps get more oxygen into the lungs and drain harmful fluids was a key breakthrough that improved patient outcomes.
Round said even though survival rates among children and younger adults are much greater, those coronavirus cases still can pose significant health risks, especially if they go undetected.
“They feel less vulnerable to the virus and they are,” Round acknowledged. “The problem is they can have the virus and they could be asymptomatic or have just a mild case and they expose someone who is vulnerable.”
Even as more people are getting the COVID vaccines, health officials said it’s too soon to get lax in taking the same safety precautions the public has been doing over the last year.
McLean County COVID Death Rate
Infogram
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