E-Paper
Covid-19 deaths in Chandigarh shot up by 275% in the week gone by
The 15 casualties between March 22 and 28 also account for 25% of all casualties in the city this year
As the Covid-19 pandemic tightens its grip in Chandigarh with more and more people testing positive for the virus each day, the number of deaths is also rising sharply.
While the weekly deaths were not more than four until March 21, these shot up to 15 in the subsequent week, a jump of 275%.
The 15 deaths between March 22 and 28 also account for 25% of all casualties (59) this year.
The daily infections, which started to shoot up in mid-February, also continue to grow for the sixth consecutive week now. However, the trend of growth has slowed down.
While between the second and third week of March, the cases grew by around 75%, their number saw a dip into the fourth week, with the surge lowering to 24%.
‘Awareness about disease still low’
“The number of deaths is expected to increase as the cases show an exponential increase. The sudden jump also suggests that the awareness about the progression of the disease is still low among the population. If people with mild symptoms seek medical attention in time, lives can be saved. But, people seem to be delaying treatment and thus lose the golden hour,” said Dr PVM Lakshmi, an epidemiologist at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
Dr GD Puri, chairman of the Covid-19 management committee at PGIMER, said there was an increase in the number of severely ill patients, as compared to last year.
“We are managing around 170 Covid-19 patients now, while their number had dropped to 30 by the end of 2020. The number of severely ill patients is doubling every week, which we did not experience last year. Precautions against the virus are vital as hospitals getting overwhelmed will compromise the quality of care,” he cautioned.
