NEW COVID-19 STUDY: 3.4 Million NC Adults are at Higher Risk

New Kaiser Family Foundation report highlights the number of U.S. adults at risk of serious illness if infected with COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus. Advocates Demand Tillis & Burr Take Action.

Raleigh, N.C. -- According to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 3.4 million adults living in North Carolina are at a higher risk of serious illness if infected with the coronavirus.

The state-by-state analysis highlights the total number of adults nationwide, including in North Carolina, who have an elevated risk of serious illness if infected with the COVID-19 virus.

Piedmont Rising Executive Director, Casey Wilkinson, released this statement in response:

"As COVID-19 continues to spread across the state, we need to protect the well-being of adults who have a higher risk of developing serious complications if infected. We need Senator Thom Tillis and Senator Richard Burr to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in the Senate immediately so that North Carolina’s most vulnerable communities can get the care they need. It’s time for our leaders to start putting vulnerable residents, especially older North Carolinians, first."

Background:

Here are the number of people in North Carolina at a higher risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus:

• Number of at-risk adults 18 and older: 3.4 millionPercentage of at-risk adults as a share of the total population 18 and over in the state: 41.9 percent

• Number of at-risk adults under age 60 due to health conditions: 981,530Share of adults under age 60 who are at risk: 17.2 percent

• Total number of adults age 60 and older: 2.4 million

• Older adults as a percentage of all at-risk adults: 71.2 percent

The full study is available on the Kaiser Family Foundation website.

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