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Delirium in Older Patients With COVID-19 Presenting to the Emergency Department
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization1 and a national emergency in the US on March 13, 2020.2 As of September 14, 2020, there were 29 114 477 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 925 596 fatalities worldwide.3 Although SARS-CoV-2 poses a risk at all ages, adults aged 65 years and older are at greatest risk of severe disease, hospitalization, intensive care use, and death.4 Persons older than 65 years comprise 16% of the US population5 yet have accounted for more than 80% of deaths in the US.6
Source: JAMA Network Open