ICU doc: Patients are younger, sans medical history

An intensive care physician working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic in New York City says he's seeing younger patients without preexisting conditions come into his emergency room.

In a video diary released by Mount Sinai Hospital, you watch as Dr. Adel Bassily-Marcus makes his rounds to check on patients during his shift.

Bassily-Marcus says COVID positive patients see a lot of ups and downs, and the downs are very low.

He also notes that because the risk of infection is so high, family members are not allowed to visit the sick, which then in turn creates added emotional stress and can make for a very difficult situation for all involved.

He says physicians and other health care workers are having to make extra time to support their patients' families.

Worldwide, the virus that has infected more than 2.1 million people and killed more than 140,000, according to a tally by John Hopkins University, though the true numbers are believed to be much higher. The death toll in the U.S. reached about 31,000, with around 650,000 confirmed infections.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as a fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and can be fatal.