Abstract

Background

The risk of experiencing adverse outcomes from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), such as hospitalization, admission to intensive care units and death, is elevated for older individuals and those with certain underlying health conditions including diabetes, chronic conditions affecting lungs, heart or kidneys, and a compromised immune system.

Data and methods

Data collected between March 29 and April 3, 2020 from the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1: Impacts of COVID-19 (n=4,627) were used to estimate the prevalence of underlying health conditions, health concerns and precautionary behaviours among Canadians aged 15 or older living in the provinces. Multivariate analyses examined associations between these variables after accounting for age, sex and education.

Results

Close to 1 in 4 Canadians (24%) had an underlying health condition that increased their risk of adverse outcomes from COVID-19. Overall, 36% of the population were very or extremely concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their own health. Individuals with underlying health conditions had higher odds (odds ratio: 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.6 to 2.5) of being highly concerned than those without these conditions, after adjustment for demographic characteristics. High percentages of Canadians took precautions to reduce the risk of infection regardless of whether or not they had underlying health conditions.

Interpretation

Health status was associated with higher levels of concern for one’s own health in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most Canadians were taking precautions recommended by public health authorities to protect themselves and others.

Keywords

Pandemics; infectious diseases; SARS-CoV-2; comorbidity; coronavirus infections

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x202000500001-eng

Findings

The risk of experiencing adverse outcomes from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), such as hospitalization, admission to intensive care units and death, is elevated for older individuals and those with certain underlying medical conditions. As of early May 2020, 67% percent of Canadians who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 63% of those admitted to intensive care units were aged 60 or older. The vast majority (95%) of those who have died from the disease were also in this older age group. Most individuals (74%) who were hospitalized with COVID-19 had one or more pre-existing chronic conditions, including cardiac disease (13%), respiratory disease (12%) and diabetes (9%). The susceptibility of older individuals and those with underlying health conditions has been reported across the globe. [Full article]

Authors

Pamela L. Ramage-Morin (Pamela.Ramage-Morin@canada.ca) and Jane Y. Polsky (Jane.Polsky@canada.ca) are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6.