Table 1:
Risk factors identified through a rapid review that have large or important (++), or very large or very important (+++) associations with severe COVID-19 outcomes, and the corresponding level of confidence in the association*
| Risk factor† | Outcome of interest | Magnitude of risk‡ (confidence in association§) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | ||
| > 80 v. ≤ 45 | Hospital admission | +++ (low) |
| Death | +++ (low) | |
| > 70 v. ≤ 45 | Hospital admission | +++ (moderate) |
| Death | +++ (moderate) | |
| > 60 v. ≤ 45 | Hospital admission | ++/+++ (moderate/low) |
| Death | ++/+++ (moderate/low) | |
| 50–64 v. ≤ 45 | Hospital admission | ++ (moderate) |
| Death | ++ (moderate) | |
| 45–54 v. ≤ 45 | Hospital admission | ++ (moderate) |
| Death | ++ (low) | |
| Pre-existing conditions | ||
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 40) | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Heart failure | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Diabetes mellitus | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Liver disease | Death | ++ (low) |
| Chronic kidney disease | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Alzheimer disease or dementia | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Sex | ||
| Male v. female | Hospital admission | ++ (moderate) |
| Race or ethnicity | ||
| Black v. non-Hispanic White | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Asian (Bangladeshi) v. British White | Death | ++ (low) |
| Place of residence | ||
| Homeless v. has a home | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
| Socioeconomic status | ||
| Income ≤ 25th v. > 50th or 75th percentile | Hospital admission | ++ (low) |
Note: BMI = body mass index, COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, NACI = National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
This table summarizes the results of a rapid review of risk factors for severe outcomes in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries, conducted by the Alberta Research Centre for Health Evidence.19 A total of 34 published studies were included in this review. Generalization of findings from other countries to Canada should be made with caution, as high-risk groups may differ by population. Furthermore, because of differences in methodology, the list of important risk factors identified in this rapid review may differ from other sources. Updated evidence syntheses will inform future NACI decisions.
The order of these risk factors is based on evidence appraisal and does not indicate order of priority.
Magnitude of associations are shown as large or important (++; odds ratio or risk ratio ≥ 2.00), or very large or very important association (+++; odds ratio or risk ratio ≥ 5.00).
A formal assessment of the quality or confidence of the evidence was not performed but the process of assessing the quality or confidence of the evidence was based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations approach (www.gradeworkinggroup.org/). Confidence in the magnitude of the associations was determined by considering primarily study limitations (risk of bias), consistency in findings across studies and precision (sample size). Low confidence indicates that there may be an association and moderate confidence means that the evidence indicates that there probably is an association.