THE ESSENTIAL
- Among those under 75, the risk of dying is also associated with income level. The higher the income, the lower the risk of dying.
Who are the adults hospitalized for a serious form in France? This is the question posed by the Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) and the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). To answer this, they made a large study published on March 17, which was conducted from March 2020 to November 2021, i.e. during the first four epidemic waves. This report focuses on the socio-economic characteristics of people who have developed a severe form of the coronavirus, defined by hospitalization, sometimes followed by complications in hospital (admission to critical care or death).
To determine the main risk factors for a severe form, the two organizations cross-referenced SI-VIC data, namely the number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients, and Fidéli, which provides information on housing and citizens admitted to an establishment. health.
Seniors are among the most hospitalized French people
“Advanced age and male gender are well-known risk factors for severe forms, which largely reflects the distribution of comorbidities making people vulnerable to Covid-19 in the population (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic lung diseases), reminded INSEE and DREES.
The study confirms that age is the most important cause. According to the results, among the French hospitalized, seniors over 60 are overrepresented (72%, against 27% of the population as a whole). But the report also highlights other risk factors.
Residents of social housing more at risk of severe form
According to INSEE and DREES, adults who live less often in single-family homes and more often live in social housing are also those who are found in hospital for a coronavirus infection. The latter represent 21% of hospitalized patients. “Another finding is that hospitalized people live in more densely occupied accommodation than average: 33% of hospitalized patients aged 50 to 74 live in accommodation with an area per person of less than 30 square meters, compared to 24% of all individuals in this age group, can we read in the results.
Another profile: the most modest patients
The standard of living is also a risk factor for severe form. The most modest French people, ie who have a standard of living 6% lower than the average standard of living of the population as a whole, are over-represented in hospitalizations. “This income effect may reflect living and working conditions associated with an increased risk of exposure to the virus, as well as a more frequent presence of comorbidities among the most disadvantaged,” specify the two organizations.
People born abroad are more vulnerable to Covid-19
The study also reveals that patients born abroad, particularly in Africa (Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa), are frequently hospitalized. This is the case for 26% of patients aged over 35, compared with 17% of the general population over 35.
The disadvantaged French less vaccinated
According to the report, the use of vaccination increases with the standard of living, “which could explain why the severe forms of the fourth wave have more affected the most modest, less frequently vaccinated”.