Coronavirus death rates in South Korea reinforce a frightening pattern of how the disease affects older people

• Data from the South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforce a disturbing attribute of the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.
• Older patients in South Korea were far more likely to die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, than younger patients.
• That pattern is similar to data released by China.
• Older populations around the world could be extremely susceptible to the new illness.
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The novel coronavirus pandemic has affected over 100 countries, and infected over 121,000 people with over 4,300 deaths.

The South Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been releasing regular reports on case counts and death rates in that country. The most recent report, showing the effects of the disease through March 11, reinforced an ongoing trend that the disease is far more dangerous for older patients than for younger people.

The report counts a total of 7,755 cases through March 11 and 60 deaths, for a total death rate of 0.77%. That is far lower than the reported death rates in several other countries. A major factor in that lower death rate could be the country's extremely thorough coronavirus testing policies: Many milder cases are being included in South Korea's overall count that might not be noticed in countries like the US where testing is more sparse.

While South Korea reported 2,718 cases among patients under 30, as of March 11, there were zero deaths from Covid-19 among those younger patients. Only one patient between the age of 30 and 39 had died, and only one patient in their 40s died.

Older patients, however, were more likely to die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Patients over age 80 had a 7.2% death rate through March 11:

Higher death rates among older patients reinforces the frightening trend of COVID-19 being more dangerous for older patients that was seen in a similar report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While death rates overall were much higher in China than in South Korea, the breakdown by patients' age follows a strikingly similar pattern:

This pattern, if it continues elsewhere, suggests alarming consequences for countries with older populations. Italy, now one of the main centers of the pandemic with the highest number of cases other than China, has one of the oldest populations in the world. That aging population could be especially susceptible to the disease.

• Read more:
• More than 121,500 people have been infected and over 4,300 have died. The US has reported 31 deaths. Here's everything we know.
• The 20 countries in the world best prepared for an epidemic like coronavirus still aren't really all that ready
• These are the most in-demand American jobs in the time of the coronavirus pandemic
• Italy, now under lockdown, has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. It also has one of the world's oldest populations with 60% over age 40.

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