Three in four COVID-19 deaths in patients with pre-existing conditions
Senate committee hearing into the handling of the pandemic also heard that PCR tests for travel had not been factored into plans
Nearly three-quarters of people who have died from COVID-19 had a pre-existing health condition, a senate committee has been told.
The parliamentary hearing also heard that while government planning for PCR test availability had included an increase in cases, states requiring PCR tests for travel purposes had not been factored in.
Overall, 71.2% of the about 1600 deaths from COVID-19 until October last year also had a pre-existing health condition, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told the committee on Wednesday.
Diabetes was the most common comorbidity followed by obesity, with chronic lung disease or heart disease also “high on the list of underlying causes”, he said.
