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60% of Maha Covid deaths this year reported in first half of April
As per the state health department data, as many as 36 out of the total 60 Covid-related deaths since January 1, 2023 were recorded between April 1 and April 15
Maharashtra has logged a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases and casualties this month. As many as 60% of the Covid-related deaths this year in the state have been reported in the first two weeks of April alone, according to data compiled by the state health department.
As per the state health department data, as many as 36 out of the total 60 Covid-related deaths since January 1, 2023 were recorded between April 1 and April 15 this year whereas the remaining 24 Covid casualties were reported over a three-month period between January and March, 2023. Although the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths started increasing since the beginning of April, officials claim that most of the deceased were aged and had co-morbidities.
A senior officer from the state health department on condition of anonymity said that the first Covid-related death this year was reported in January after which the number of such deaths remained meagre in February. Later in March, the number of deaths due to Covid gradually began increasing. “It is only since the last two weeks of March that the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths started to increase. With more infections, there is a possibility of high-risk people being infected. The number of deaths has increased due to this,” the officer said.
Most of the Covid infected cases are asymptomatic or mild symptomatic with few people requiring hospitalisation. “The deaths were reported mainly amongst high-risk and elderly patients,” the officer added.
In April, Maharashtra logged the highest single-day Covid caseload after a gap of seven months. The state reported over 1,000 fresh Covid-19 cases thrice during the first 15 days of April alone. Reportedly, Maharashtra recorded 1,115 Covid cases on April 12 followed by 1,086 on April 13 and 1,152 on April 14, officials said. The state currently has 6,047 active Covid-19 cases, out of which 740 are in Pune district. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Maharashtra has reported 8,155,189 Covid-19 cases and 148,477 deaths, said state health department officials.
Pune district has reported a total six deaths due to Covid-19 this year, out of which, the first death was reported in January followed by four deaths in March and one death in April. Three deaths were reported in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) area; two in Pimpri-Chinchwad; and only one in Pune rural. The Covid-19 patients (one male and five females) who succumbed to the disease were aged between 65 and 89 years, according to officials.
Dr Bhagwan Pawar, health officer of the PMC, said, that though the number of deaths in the state has increased this month, the number remains under control in Pune. All the Covid-19 patients who died were aged and had co-morbidities. “This is why health experts and the government always say that the elderly and high-risk people should take precautions. Taking booster doses also has an added benefit but unfortunately, with the lull in cases in the interim, the response to the booster dose too fell. Still, people in the high-risk category must follow Covid-appropriate behaver and be cautious,” Dr Pawar said.
