Age-stratified analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and case fatality rate in China, Italy, and South Korea

Objective We aimed to compare the characteristics of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China, Italy, and South Korea. Materials and methods Detailed national epidemiological information of COVID-19 was retracted from the latest statistics reports from China, Italy, and South Korea. Population-based analysis of the age distribution among confirmed cases was conducted and their crude case fatality ratio in each c RESULTS: The age distributions among COVID-19 cases were relatively similar between China and Italy with primarily elderly populations infected, which were considerably different from that in South Korea with primarily younger individuals infected. Most deaths occurred among elderly individuals who were older than 60 years in both Italy (98.0%) and South Korea (87.9%), consistent with the previous data from China (81.0%). Conclusions Most deaths occurred among elderly individuals who were over 60 in China, Italy, and South Korea. South Korea's data suggest that younger individuals might be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, which might be fully under detected in China and Italy.