Majority of Brazilian ICU Patients Aged Under 40

By Staff, Agencies

The majority of Brazilians suffering from Covid-19 in intensive care are now under the age of 40, the coordinator of a study from the Brazilian Society of Intensive Care [AMIB] revealed on Monday.

Those under 40 infected with the coronavirus in intensive care, now numbering more than 11,000, made up the majority of hospitalized patients [52.2%] in March, said AMIB study coordinator Dr. Ederlon Rezende.

They were only 14.6 percent at the start of the pandemic a year ago, rising to 45 percent between September and February, according to the same study.

"This population previously only contracted a milder form of the disease and did not need intensive care," explained Dr. Rezende. "Such an increase for this age group is very significant."

People over 80 - who now constitute only 7.8 percent of people in intensive care suffering from coronavirus - are now mostly vaccinated.

In addition, younger people are more exposed, either because they have to work, or because they believe they are less vulnerable, according to the study.

The Brazilian variant of the virus, named P1, is the main cause of the spike in the number of deaths in March, according to experts.

"Younger patients, without having had other illnesses, have more serious cases upon arrival at intensive care," said Dr. Rezende.

The number of patients with Covid-19 who end up in intensive care without having had other diseases reached in March almost a third of the total [30.3%], according to the study, while the number of patients with Covid-19 in intensive care reached the record percentage of 58.1 percent.