Men have 30% higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than women: Study
Boston: Men have a 30 per cent higher risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to women of the same age and health status, according to a new study which analysed the link between common patient characteristics and the risk of dying from the novel coronavirus infection.
Hospitalised COVID-19 patients have a greater risk of dying if they are men or if they are obese or have complications from diabetes or hypertension, the study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, noted.
In the research, the scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in the US assessed nearly 67,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in 613 hospitals across the country.
They said the patients who were obese, had hypertension or poorly managed diabetes had a higher risk of dying compared to those who did not have these conditions.
The study noted that COVID-19 patients aged 20 to 39 with these conditions had the biggest difference in their risk of dying compared to their healthier peers.
"Knowledge is power in many ways, so I think understanding which hospitalized COVID-19 patients are at highest risk of mortality can help guide difficult treatment decisions," said study corresponding author Anthony D. Harris.
The researchers believe healthcare providers could consider these risks when determining which COVID-19 patients could benefit the most from antibody therapies that, if given in the first few days of the infection, can reduce hospitalisation risk.
According to the study, age remained the strongest predictor of mortality from COVID-19.
It noted that overall, nearly 19 per cent of hospitalised COVID-19 patients died from their infection with the lowest mortality among pediatric patients, which was less than two per cent.
Mortality rates increased with each decade of life with the highest mortality, 34 per cent, among those aged 80 and older.
"Older patients still have the highest risk of dying, but younger patients with obesity or hypertension have the highest risk of dying relative to other patients their age without these conditions, said study lead author Katherine E. Goodman.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi court sentences Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia, associate to life imprisonment
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has sentenced Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia and his associate to life imprisonment under MCOCA provisions, but refused the death penalty saying the offences did not fall under the category of 'rarest of the rare cases'.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain sentenced Gulia and Dhirpal alias Kana to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In an order dated December 13, the judge said, "Death sentence can only be awarded in 'rarest of the rare cases' wherein the murder is committed in an extremely inhumane, barbarous, grotesque or dastardly manner as to arouse umbrage of the community at large."
The judge said that on weighing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, it could be concluded that the present case did not fall under the category, and so, the death penalty could not be imposed upon the convicts.
"Thus, both the convicts are sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs 3 lakh each, for committing the offence under Section 3 of MCOCA," she said.
The public prosecutor, seeking the death penalty for both the accused, submitted that they were involved in several unlawful activities while they were on bail in other cases.
He argued that the accused had shown no respect for the law and acted without any fear of legal consequences, and therefore did not deserve any leniency from the court.
The court noted that both convicts were involved in offences of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, house trespass, and criminal intimidation. Besides, they had misused the liberty of interim bail granted to them by absconding.
It said, "The terror of the convicts was such that it created fear psychosis in the mind of the general public, and they lost complete faith in the law enforcement agencies and chose to accede to the illegal demands of convicts. Despite suffering losses, they could not gather the courage to depose against them."
The court noted that Gulia was involved in at least 18 criminal cases, while Dhirpal had links to 10 serious offences.
It underlined that MCOCA had been enacted "keeping in view the fact that organised crime had come up as a serious threat to society, as it knew no territorial boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generated by committing the offence of extortion, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, collection of protection money, murder, etc."
Both accused persons had been convicted on December 10 in a case registered at Najafgarh police station. The police filed a chargesheet under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) and 4 (punishment for possessing unaccountable wealth on behalf of member of organised crime syndicate) of MCOCA.
