What is actual death toll from coronavirus?

The death toll from coronavirus infection COVID-19 is 3.4%, according to experts from the WHO. Earlier, this indicator was estimated at 2%.

The death toll from coronavirus exceeded mortality from influenza, said WHO head, Tedros Ghebreyesus. Mortality from coronavirus worldwide is about 3.4%. Seasonal flu usually kills less than 1% of those infected, he said.

According to experts, COVID-19 causes more serious complications than the flu, as people have not yet developed immunity to coronavirus.

However, not all experts agree with these estimates. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci wrote in an article that the real death toll from COVID-19 is likely to be lower, as many cases of mild illness are now not taken into account by statistics. Mortality from coronavirus is unlikely to exceed 1%.

Experts also note that age is the most significant risk factor for death from COVID-19. Over the age of 80, 14.8% of patients died, 70-80 years old - 8%, 60-70 years old - 3.6%, 50-60 years old - 1.3%. Mortality was much lower for younger people: from 0.2-0.4%.

Chronic diseases increase the risk of death from coronavirus infection: among such diseases, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention named cardiovascular diseases (by 10.5%), diabetes mellitus (by 7.3%), chronic lung diseases (by 6.3 %), hypertension (6%), cancer (5.6%).