Scientists have named a factor indicating the risk of death from COVID

The main factor in severe cases of the course of covid-19 , leading to death, was a high concentration of the infectious agent in the lungs, scientists from New York University found. The study is published in the journal Nature.

“Our results show that the cause of COVID-19 deaths is largely the inability of the body to cope with the large amount of virus that infects the lungs,” said one of the authors, MD, associate professor of medicine at New York University Imran Suleiman.

Scientists collected samples of bacteria and fungi from the lungs of 589 seriously ill patients. In 142 people who, in addition to mechanical ventilation, required bronchoscopy, experts also analyzed the number of viral particles in the lower respiratory tract and determined which microorganisms were there.

The study found that the viral load, or the number of viral particles, in the lungs of deceased patients was, on average, ten times higher than that of survivors.