What does the mortality rate or death rate mean in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The mortality rate is the number of people who died due to COVID-19 divided by the total number of people in the population. Since this is an ongoing outbreak, the mortality rate can change daily.

What is the case fatality ratio (CFR)?

Calculating CFR Case fatality ratio (CFR) is the proportion of individuals diagnosed with a disease who die from that disease and is therefore a measure of severity among detected cases:

Why is there a delay in death counts during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Data during recent periods are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes. This delay can range from 1 week to 8 weeks or more, depending on the jurisdiction and cause of death.

What happens when a COVID-19 patient get pneumonia?

In the case of COVID pneumonia, the damage to the lungs is caused by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.When COVID pneumonia develops, it causes additional symptoms, such as:• Shortness of breath• Increased heart rate• Low blood pressure

How is the COVID-19 Infection Fatality Rate calculated?

This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of deaths from the disease by the total number of infected individuals; hence, in contrast to the CFR, the IFR incorporates asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections as well as reported cases.

How long does it take to report coronavirus disease deaths?

It takes extra time to code COVID-19 deaths. While 80% of deaths are electronically processed and coded by NCHS within minutes, most deaths from COVID-19 must be coded manually, which takes an average of 7 days.

Is COVID-19 lung damage reversible?

After a serious case of COVID-19, a patient’s lungs can recover, but not overnight. “Recovery from lung damage takes time,” Galiatsatos says. “There’s the initial injury to the lungs, followed by scarring.