Conditions that change the odds of getting the virus

NPR - People age 50 and older are around 2-and-a-half times more likely to progress to a severe case of COVID-19. That's according to a new study that quantifies the risk factors that increase the odds that people infected with the coronavirus will develop a severe case of the disease.

Being male increased the odds of progressing to severe illness by 1.3 times, while smoking made it a little over 1 to 2-and-a-half times more likely. Overall, patients with underlying medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease were 2 to 3 times more likely to progress to severe illness.

Certain conditions raised those odds further: For instance, people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder were anywhere from 2-and-a-half to nearly 11 times more likely to get severely ill. Kidney disease is also likely a big risk factor. While the research didn't pinpoint exactly how big that risk is, it's somewhere between 2- and 16-fold.