July 9, 2020

OpenSAFELY: Factors Associated with COVID-19 Death in 17 Million Patients

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• Williamson et al. linked primary care records of 17,278,392 adults in England (40% of all patients nationally) to 10,926 COVID-19-related deaths and found that COVID-19-related death was associated with being male (HR=1.59; 95% CI 1.53-1.65), older age and lower socioeconomic status  (both with a strong gradient), diabetes, severe asthma, and various other medical conditions. Compared to individuals with White ethnicity, those who were Black (HR=1.48; 95%CI 1.30-1.69) and South Asian (HR=1.44; 95% CI 1.32-1.58) individuals were at higher risk of death even after adjustment for other factors. 

Williamson et al. (July 8, 2020). OpenSAFELY: Factors Associated with COVID-19 Death in 17 Million Patients. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2521-4