HOUSTON – According to the CDC, people with asthma may be at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. However, that’s not what the data from sick people is reflecting.
New data about the people suffering most with coronavirus shows very few are asthma patients.
The Lancet looked at data from China and said the lower death rate among people with asthma might be because China has fewer asthmatics but numbers out of New York also leave asthma off the list of conditions most fatal among COVID-19 patients.
Sparking The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America to wonder if asthma patients are any safer?
UT Health Professor of Infectious Diseases, Luis Ostrosky, MD, said he thinks they’re not in the clear. He said the data is more of a reflection on how these patients adhering to social distancing.
“It’s most likely related to the fact that we’re asking people with chronic pulmonary diseases to stay home and take care of themselves. So, I’m not sure if there’s a biological explanation as to why we’re not seeing many cases in asthma patients, it’s more likely we are asking them to stay home and they’re not getting infected,” Ostrosky said.
Ostrosky said people with asthma should take precautions when any type of respiratory illness is spreading.