E-Paper
Deadly August: 59% of Ludhiana Covid fatalities in just two weeks
Nine people have died every day in August on an average, adding up to 126 deaths in the district’s total toll of 214.
The district is witnessing a steady rise in Covid-19 fatalities with the number of those dead due to the virus multiplying over twofold in just two weeks of August.
From 88 deaths between March 29 and July 31, the Covid toll has risen to 214 with 126 (59%) fatalities in August alone.
Worse, over half of total fatalities at 109 were reported in just 12 days between August 3 and 14.
During this period, at least 10 deaths were reported per day for four consecutive days and nine deaths on five days – an average of nine deaths every day.
August 13 witnessed the highest fatalities so far with 13 people succumbing to the virus.
Besides 126 deaths, the Covid-19 cases have spiralled from 3,246 on July 31 to 6,176 on August 14 – a nearly twofold rise again.
Among these, 1,807 cases are still active.
POST LOCKDOWN AFTERMATH
Notably, the mortality rate spiked majorly after the curfew restrictions were lifted on June 8. A whopping 95% deaths of all Covid deaths occurred post lockdown.
Before June 8, 11 people had died since March 29 (70 days).
March had recorded one death, followed by three in April and five in May. As the borders reopened and curfew restrictions were eased in June, allowing public to venture out and businesses to reopen, the Covid positive cases shot up and fatalities rose to 12 in a month. The situation worsened in July that saw 67 deaths.
The fatalities touched the century mark on August 2 and took just 11 more days for the toll to cross the 200 mark on August 13.
Dr Bishav Mohan, a member of the Covid-19 task force set up by the state government, stressed that patients with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and influenza like illness (ILI) should reach the hospital at an early stage for timely treatment.
“There is a strong misconception that treatment for Covid-19 is not available in hospitals, which is false. Knowledge exchange is taking place at a global scale. With the right kind of treatment, doctors across the world have been able to bring down the mortality rate from 18% to 3% or less. I urge patients to reach the hospital at an early stage,” Dr Mohan said.
Dr Hitinder Kaur Sohal, senior medical officer (SMO)-cum-nodal officer for Covid-19 at Ludhiana civil hospital, said a large number of patients feared social stigma due to Covid-19 and therefore reached the hospital only when their condition worsened. “Besides timely treatment, residents also need to observe precautions by avoiding crowded areas, social gatherings and wearing mask and maintaining social distancing in public,” Dr Sohal added.
