March 9, 2020

expert reaction to third death from COVID-19

The third death in the UK from COVID-19 has been confirmed. The patient was reported to be elderly and to have significant underlying health conditions.

Rowland Kao, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, said:

 “While this is of course tragic for the friends and family of the individual, it is not unexpected that there would be further deaths, given the existing scale of the current outbreak in the UK. Based on the information provided, this case has well-defined risk pathways and is in a group that is in a higher risk of developing a severe case and for death. This case on its own should not in any ways change the advice being provided or the control measures being taken.”

Dr Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor, Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, said:

“This upsetting news is unfortunately not unexpected. As we see an upsurge in cases within the UK, likely the beginning of an epidemic, it is the case that more vulnerable members of the population will be amongst those affected by the virus. As we have seen from studies in China and elsewhere, the chances of severe disease and possible fatality increase with age, and are further exacerbated by the presence of underlying health conditions or compromised immunity. Nevertheless, it remains the case that only a minority of SARS-CoV2 infections result in death.

“However, as the numbers of people affected by the virus increase, it will sadly be the case that more such announcements are likely to be made. It is therefore critical that we do not overlook the many thousands of people in our country above retirement age, those who are living with chronic health conditions, or those with suppressed immune systems resulting from medication, infectious (e.g. untreated HIV) or inherited causes. In the absence of a vaccine for the short to medium term, this population would benefit tremendously from the availability of antiviral drugs. Thus, the ongoing trials of e.g. remdesivir in China and elsewhere are of critical importance for the short to medium term management of COVID-19. Going forward, the development of bespoke antivirals to combat infections such as this virus should be prioritised.”

Dr Gail Carson, Director of Network Development at ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium), and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, University of Oxford, said:

“I am very sorry to hear about the loss of a patient at North Manchester General Hospital over the weekend. What we have to remember is that each death is the passing of a loved one for someone no matter how old or poorly they were; an individual, not a number. I worked at North Manchester for 7 years and know that the staff are highly qualified and caring. As we are likely to see the outbreak increase in size in the UK & as the Government have prepared us for an increase in cases, we are likely to see more deaths. To help keep those numbers as low as they can be, let’s get behind our government, Chief Medical Officers, health care workers & public health teams and any of the measures that they think are best for the population, because we  and our loved ones are the population.”  

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink: www.sciencemediacentre.org/tag/covid-19

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