A study, published Thursday by the Superior Health Institute and National Statistics Institute ISTAT, has found that the novel coronavirus has directly caused the death of 89% Italian COVID-19 victims.
Researchers found that 9 out of 10 COVID-19 victims in Italy died directly due to the coronavirus, shedding more light on the epidemic that struck the nation’s northern regions.
Italy has so far reported more than 35,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Health officials said most fatalities were also affected by other medical conditions, which provoked a controversial debate on whether the coronavirus was the actual cause of death.
The study findings have shown that the virus was the direct cause of death of 89% of the 4,942 victims in the sample, while the remaining 11% had coronavirus but died due to other medical conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and dementia.
The researchers explained that the virus might have aggravated the underlying medical conditions that led to death.
The study also found that pneumonia was seen in 79% of the patients whose deaths were directly linked to the virus, which was the most common complication of COVID-19, followed by other respiratory illnesses.
The researchers also found that coronavirus was fatal for some patients who did not have any underlying medical condition. They said, “In 28.2% of the cases analyzed, there are no other causes of death.”
Meanwhile, Germany has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to bolster its review of how it handled the pandemic
Germany so far largely shielded the WHO from the most intense criticism by the United States, which wants to cut all ties with the global health organization for being more China-centric.
Last week, Trump administration took an official step toward terminating the US and WHO relationship by sending a notice period of one year to the United Nations secretary-general.
President Donald Trump has constantly accused the WHO of supporting China and not doing enough to question China’s actions at the beginning of the pandemic. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus denied the allegations and said the agency has always been keeping the world informed. Last week, the WHO said it was setting up an independent panel of experts to review how it handled the ongoing pandemic and the response by governments.
