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Data reveals Karnataka Police lost almost 1 cop daily to 2nd wave of Covid-19
The Karnataka Police lost 41 personnel to Covid-19 between April 1 and May 13, almost a death every day, according to state police documents.
In the second wave of the pandemic, Karnataka Police has lost 40 personnel to Covid-19 between April 1 and May 13, almost a death every day, according to the state police documents accessed by Hindustan Times. The latest among those who succumbed to the infection was 28-year-old police sub-inspector Shamili, attached to the Dakshina Kannada police department, who died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital, taking the total deaths to 41. Shamili was seven months pregnant.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Sonwane said she was undergoing treatment at RM Jalappa Hospital in Kolar. “She was seven months pregnant. Due to pregnancy, she was not vaccinated,” he said.
Shamili was the youngest police officer to die due to Covid-19 in the second wave, which has wreaked havoc in Karnataka and across the country. A closer look at the document shows that in the second wave, out of the 41 police officials who died, four were under the age of 35 while 27 did not have any comorbidities.
According to the internal document of the police department, a copy which is available with Hindustan Times, 4,203 personnel, or 4% of the total police force, have contracted the virus in the 48 days. Of these, 1,508 are active cases.In the second wave, the maximum number of Covid-19 cases among police personnel were reported in Bengaluru (1,439), followed by Mysuru (257) and Tumkur (216). Ballari, Kalburgi, Hassan police departments reported 148, 140 and 123 cases, respectively. Bengaluru Police also reported the highest number of deaths. Of the 41 deaths among police personnel, 13 were reported in Bengaluru alone.
The state police chief, DG&IGP Praveen Sood told HT that because of vaccination they have been able to control the number of cases and fatalities in the second wave. “In the first wave last year, we lost 103 police officials and more than 9,600 policemen and women were infected. However, this time, we have made an effort to ensure the entire department is vaccinated,” said Sood.
According to Sood, out of the 87,917 police officials in the state, 96% (84,924) have received the first dose of the vaccine, while 82% (72,648 police personnel) have received the second dose. Out of the 2,993 remaining, 2,557 are medically unfit for vaccination and 436 personnel are yet to get the vaccine.
The state police chief admitted that among those who are yet to receive the vaccine, some have reservations. “Some don’t want to get the vaccine because of the forwards they have seen on social media. We are trying to convince them to get the vaccine at the earliest,” he added.
On Tuesday, paying tribute to the 28-year-old sub-inspector, Sood tweeted: “Youngest member of the police family to succumb to Covid. 28-year-old, PSI Shamili of Kolar, attached to DK district lost her battle with COVID. May her soul rest in peace. But it could be any of us. Please cooperate with the police, stay home and stay safe.”
At the same time, data released by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the state has lost eight doctors to Covid-19 during the second wave of the pandemic. IMA said on Tuesday that the country has lost 270 doctors in the second wave, which has been more deadly and fast-spreading.
