The Pandemic Provides A New Urgency For The Integrated Care Issue

There is a lot we don’t know about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The death rates, the incidence in the population, and the effect of antibodies are still big questions. But there are conclusions about one issue that seem to be emerging in almost every study—hospitalization and death rates are being driven by underlying chronic medical conditions.

Among people diagnosed with COVID-19 (see COVID-19 Hospitalization & Death Most Common With Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes & Lung Disease), the most common underlying health conditions linked to hospitalization and death were cardiovascular disease (32%), diabetes (30%), and chronic lung . . .