Full Citation

Title: Older Clinicians and the Surge in Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2020

ISBN:

ISSN: 0098-7484

DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.4978

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: The recent report of 2 critically ill emergency physicians infected by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of the nation’s health care workforce.1 While all members of the health care workforce are vital as the health care system faces perhaps its greatest challenge in memory, physicians and nurses are the caregivers who typically have the most direct contact with patients, whether through advising, triaging, or treating those who require hospitalization. Across the nation, people, and particularly those older than 60 years, are being asked to stay at home and practice social distancing to slow the spread of infection and help avoid overwhelming hospitals that are expected to encounter shortages of needed equipment and personnel. Recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the rates of hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and mortality among reported COVID-19 cases in the United States are substantially higher among patients older than 45 years compared with younger patients, with case-fatality rates exceeding 1.4% among patients aged 55 to 64 years and exceeding 2.7% among those aged 65 to 74 years.

Url: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2764073

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Authors: Buerhaus, Peter I.; Auerbach, David I.; Staiger, Douglas O.

Periodical (Full): JAMA

Issue: 18

Volume: 323

Pages: 1777-1778

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Health

Countries: