Risk factors for severity of COVID-19: a rapid review to inform vaccine prioritisation in Canada

Rapid review (34 studies) found low or moderate certainty evidence for a ≥2-fold magnitude of association between Covid-19 hospitalisation and obesity class III, heart failure, diabetes, CKD, dementia, age >45 years, male gender, black race/ethnicity, homelessness and low income

SPS commentary:

The authors note that their research suggests increasing age (especially >60 years) may be the most important risk factor for severe outcomes, with possibly ≥5-fold associations with hospitalisation and mortality for this age group. Higher quality research accounting for multiple confounders is needed to better understand the magnitude of associations for severity of COVID-19 with several other factors.

BMJ Open