Does Existence of Prior Circulatory System Diseases Accelerate Mortality Due to COVID-19?

Dear Editor,

The first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were identified in the metropolis of Wuhan, the capital of the province of Hubei, in the People’s Republic of China. An outbreak of rapidly progressive pneumonia of undetermined origin associated with common exposure to the city’s seafood market was observed. On December 31, 2019, China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the outbreak. One month later, on January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the situation an international emergency, and, on March 11, the disease was declared a pandemic.

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