Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Artist’s rendition of Coronavirus

In July, the CDC published data on the characteristics of 50,000 U.S. residents who died of COVID-19 between mid-Feb and mid-May, 2020.

Some points:

• 55% were male
• 80% were aged ≥65 years
• 14% were Hispanic/Latino (Hispanic)
• 21% were black
• 40% were white
• 4% were Asian
• 0.3% were American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN),
• 3% were multiracial or other race
• race/ethnicity was unknown for 18.0%
• median decedent age was 78 years (median means half who died were over 78, half were under 78)

CDC didn’t have much clinical data on all 50,000 decedents. But they were able to collect supplementary data on close to 11,000 of them;

• 61% were male
• 75% were aged ≥65 years
• 24% were Hispanic
• 25% were black
• 35% were white
• 6% were Asian
• 3% were multiracial or other race
• race/ethnicity was unknown for 6%
• decedent age varied by race and ethnicity; median age was 71 years among Hispanic decedents, 72 years among all nonwhite, non-Hispanic decedents, and 81 years among white decedents. The percentages of Hispanic (35%) and nonwhite (30%) decedents who were aged <65 years were more than twice those of white decedents (13%)

What about underlying conditions among these 11,000 decedents for whom supplementary data was available?

At least one underlying medical condition was reported for 8,134 (76%) of decedents for whom sup­plementary data were collected, including 83% of decedents aged <65 years. Overall, the most common underlying medical conditions were:

• cardiovascular disease (61%)
• diabetes mellitus (40%)
• chronic kidney disease (21%)
• chronic lung disease (19%)
• among decedents aged <65 years, 83% had one or more underlying medical conditions
• among decedents aged ≥85 years, 70% had one or more underlying medical conditions
• diabetes was more common among decedents aged <65 years (50%) than among those aged ≥85 years (26%).

From the CDC report

Regional and state level efforts to examine the roles of these factors in SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19-associated deaths could lead to targeted, community-level, mortality prevention initiatives. Examples include health communication campaigns targeted towards Hispanics and nonwhite persons aged <65 years. These campaigns could encourage social distancing and the need for wearing cloth face coverings in public settings. In addition, health care providers should be encouraged to consider the possibility of disease progression, particularly in Hispanic and nonwhite persons aged <65 years and persons of any race/ethnicity, regardless of age, with underlying medical conditions, especially diabetes.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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…Connecticut and Massachusetts didn’t do very well either.

Artist’s rendition of Coronavirus

From New York Post:

More than 32,000 New Yorkers have died from the coronavirus, a toll higher than any other state. New York also ranks second to the worst out of all 50 states, in deaths per million residents. Only New Jersey did worse.

You wouldn’t know it, listening to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who brags that his administration “tamed the beast.” Or the media that praise him and chide states with much, much lower death rates.

Cuomo is doing everything he can to coverup the errors. He’s stonewalling bipartisan efforts in Albany to investigate the deaths of thousands of elderly in nursing homes ravaged by the virus.

Legislators need to persevere, and in fact broaden their investigation to include the poor performance of many hospitals in the state. On March 2, one day after the first coronavirus case in New York was disclosed, Cuomo told New Yorkers not to worry because “we have the best health care system on the planet.” That’s a whopper. Patients treated for COVID-19 in hospitals here died at more than twice the national average.

Source: COVID-19 death rates reveal NY and NJ are states that failed the test

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Are you tired of this pic yet?

From The Journal of Nutrition:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses an occupational health risk to food system workers including farmers/producers, grocery store workers, emergency food system staff and volunteers (e.g., food pantry workers), and others. These food system workers have been pushed to the front-line of this pandemic, providing essential services that support food consumption for all Americans. Food system workers are some of the most economically vulnerable populations and are at risk of further financial disparities and contraction of COVID-19 during this pandemic. As we continue to grapple with the best strategies to support the food system and mitigate concerns around the spread of COVID-19, appropriate measures must be considered to better protect and support front-line food system workers that safeguard food access for all Americans.

Source: Food System Workers are the Unexpected but Under Protected COVID Heroes | The Journal of Nutrition | Oxford Academic

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