90% Covid victims in Noida had comorbidities, reveals death audit

NOIDA: The death audit of fatalities related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease has found that 82 out of the 90 deaths so far in Gautam Buddha Nagar district

NOIDA: The death audit of fatalities related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease has found that 82 out of the 90 deaths so far in Gautam Buddha Nagar district were cases which had co-morbidities.

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The district’s chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Deepak Ohri said, “The death audit revealed that as many as 46 patients had hypertension, while diabetes and cardiac problems were found in 34 and 19 patients, respectively. Among others, co-morbidities like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy, bronchitis and asthma were found.”

He added that it was found that the first four-five days after having been infected with the Sars-Cov-2 are the most critical for Covid-19 patients. “During this time, the virus infects the lungs and other parts of the body. That’s why health officials have been asked to track cases as early as possible,” Dr Ohri said.

The CMO added that male patients account for nearly 76% of the total deaths in the district. “So far, only 22 female patients in the district have lost their lives due to Covid-19. Also, only 20 out of the 90 Covid-19 deaths were from rural areas. This indicates that either the rate of spread of virus is exceptionally high in urban areas, or that the people living in rural areas have better immunity,” he said.

The audit also revealed that out of the 90 fatalities, as many as 57 patients, (nearly 64% of the tally) belonged to the age group of over 60 years. “None of the patients, between the age group of 0 to 20 years, succumbed to the virus. However, among those 57 deaths in patients above 60 years of age, as many as 48 had co-morbidities,” the death audit said.

Among the 13 Covid-dedicated healthcare facilities in the district from where deaths have been reported, while Sharda hospital reported 31 deaths, the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) reported 25 deaths. “As many as seven deaths were reported from Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College in Meerut, while the remaining 34 deaths were reported from other hospitals,” the CMO said.

When contacted, Ajit Kumar, joint registrar of Sharda University Medical College, said that the turnout of Covid-19 infected patients has gone down significantly in the recent past as the general public has become more aware about maintaining safety and sanitisation. “We have certainly crossed the alarming stage. Even our doctors and paramedics are no more afraid of the treatment of infected patients, realising that it’s not an incorrigible disease. The number of daily new cases reported in our hospital has also come down to three-four now,” he said.