2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): estimating the case fatality rate – a word of caution
Manuel Battegay, Richard Küehl, Sarah Tschudin‐Sutter, Hans H. Hirsch, Andreas F. Widmer, Richard A. Neher
Abstract
It is tempting to estimate the case fatality rate by dividing the number of known deaths by the number of confirmed cases. The resulting number, however, does not represent the true case fatality rate and might be off by orders of magnitude.
Topics & Concepts
Case fatality rateMedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakCoronavirusVirologyInternal medicineEpidemiologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)OutbreakDiseaseCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesViral Infections and Outbreaks Research