One chart shows different countries' current coronavirus death rates, based on the known number of cases and deaths

Advertisement
One chart shows different countries' current coronavirus death rates, based on the known number of cases and deaths
italy coronavirus

Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP

Advertisement

The Colosseum, which is now closed to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak, is reflected in a puddle where a face mask was left, in Rome, March 8, 2020.

  • The coronavirus' death rate - a calculation that divides the known number of known deaths by the total number of confirmed cases - varies widely by country right now. In Italy, that rate is about 8%, while in the US, it's 1.7%.
  • More than 212,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus and at least 8,700 have died worldwide.
  • Generally, the death rate seems to decrease as more people are tested and cases are confirmed.
  • The following chart compares death rates in 16 countries that have confirmed deaths and more than 1,000 cases.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Italy reported 475 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday - the highest one-day death toll of any nation since the coronavirus outbreak began.

The coronavirus' death rate in Italy is higher than anywhere else in the world right now. The rate, a basic calculation that divides the number of known deaths by the total number of confirmed cases, was about 8% in Italy as of Tuesday afternoon.

Belgium, where 10 patients have died out of 1,243 total case, has a death rate of just 0.8%.

Advertisement

While this variation between countries may sound concerning, the rate strongly depends on how many people get tested for the virus. In countries like South Korea, which has tested 295,647 people as of Wednesday, the death rate is lower than in, say, the US, which has tested less than 60,000.

covid 19 death rate countries with deaths and more than 1000 casesShayanne Gal/Business InsiderCountries' death rates have changed over time

Because countries' coronavirus case totals and death tolls are constantly changing as the outbreak grows and evolves, countries' death rates are not static.

On March 6, the US had the highest death rate - about 6% - among countries with more than 100 cases. Italy's death rate at the time was about half of what it is now.

covid 19 death rate countries with deaths and more than 100 casesShayanne Gal/Business InsiderMany health experts predict that death rates overall will decrease as the number of cases rises and the amount of testing increases. The US' experience offers evidence of that. As of Tuesday, coronavirus death rate among Americans had dropped to 1.7%, compared to 5.9% two weeks ago. In the 12 days between calculations, the number of people tested in the US jumped from less than 2,000 to more than 58,000.

Widespread testing could mean a lower death rate because the majority of coronavirus cases - about 80% - are considered mild. But the cases tested and reported first are often those with the most severe symptoms, since those people go to the hospital. Milder cases, on the other hand, could go uncounted or get reported later on, so the true number of infected people is likely much higher than the reported total.

Advertisement

"If indeed we discover that there are far more cases that are actually being reported, and that one of the primary reasons for this is that we're just not detecting asymptomatic or mild or moderately symptomatic cases that don't end up seeking healthcare, then our estimates for the case fatality rate will likely decrease," Lauren Ancel Meyers, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, previously told Business Insider.

Very mild cases, she added, "may not make it onto the radar of public health agencies."

The death rate is not the same as your chance of dying

south korea coronavirus

Getty Images

Medical members wearing protective gear guide drivers at a "drive-through" virus test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on February 29, 2020.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated on March 3 that the global death rate for the coronavirus is about 3.4%. New research that has yet to be peer-reviewed from a group of Chinese researchers suggests the rate could be less than the WHO's estimate. The death rate in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus outbreak began in December, is about 1.4%, the new study shows.

Advertisement

The death rate of a disease is different from its mortality rate - the latter is the number of deaths out of the number of people in an at-risk population. A death rate is not a reflection of the likelihood that any given person will die if infected.

According to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the coronavirus' mortality rate is probably around 1% - which is still about 10 times higher than that of the flu.

Read more:

Two charts show how the coronavirus outbreaks differ between the US and South Korea

Countries that are on lockdown because of coronavirus

Advertisement

Multiple experts say up to 70% of Americans could be infected with the coronavirus and 1 million could die if no treatment is found - so people over 60 should 'stay home unless it's critical'

What to know about the coronavirus outbreak in 17 charts and maps

Digital Health Pro

Featured Digital Health Articles:
- Telehealth Industry: Benefits, Services & Examples
- Value-Based Care Model: Pay-for-Performance Healthcare
- Senior Care & Assisted Living Market Trends
- Smart Medical Devices: Wearable Tech in Healthcare
- AI in Healthcare
- Remote Patient Monitoring Industry: Devices & Market Trends

NOW WATCH: Pathologists debunk 13 myths about the coronavirus, including why masks won't help

{{}}