COVID-19 COVID-19 patients at higher risk of death, health problems than those with flu The Record • December 16, 2020December 16, 2020 hown is a rendering of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. A deep dive into federal medical data, conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found that COVID-19 is much deadlier and causes more health problems for patients than those who have the flu. (Image courtesy of CDC) View Content Data analysis offers comparison of the two viruses