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Data reveals Karnataka Police lost almost one cop daily to 2nd wave of Covid-19 pandemic
The latest among the deaths in the force is a 28-year-old police sub-inspector who was seven months pregnant.
In 43 days between April 1 to May 13, amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Karnataka Police lost 41 personnel to the viral infection, documents accessed by Hindustan Times stated.
The latest among the deaths in the force is a 28-year-old police sub-inspector who was seven months pregnant. Shamili, a police inspector attached to the Dakshina Kannada police department died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for Covid-19.
According to the Superintendent of Police, Rishikesh Sonwane, she was undergoing treatment at the 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 from Covid-19 in the second wave. 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 and 27 of them didn’t have any comorbidities.
According to the internal document of the police department, a copy which is available with Hindustan Times, 4,203 policemen contracted the virus in 41 days, which comes to about 4% of the total police force. Out of these 4,203 policemen, 1,508 are currently infected with the virus.
In the second wave, a 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 reported the highest number of deaths. Out of the 41 deaths among police personnel, 13 were reported in Bengaluru.
State police chief, DG and 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 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 that the entire department is vaccinated,” said Sood.
According to Sood, out of the 87,917 police officials in the state 96% (84,917 police personnel) have received the first dose of the vaccine, while 82% (72,648 police personnel) have received the second dose. Out of the remaining 2,993, 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 have to get the vaccination because of the forwards they have seen on the 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 that the state has lost eight doctors to Covid-19 during the second wave of the pandemic in the state. The IMA said on Tuesday that the country lost 270 doctors in the second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, which has been more deadly and fast-spreading.
Police personnel who died due to Covid-19
First wave: 9,600 infections, 103 deaths.
Second wave: 4,203 infections, 41 deaths.
Vaccination
The total strength of the police department: 87,917
Police personnel who received the first dose: 84,917 (96%)
Police personnel who received the second dose: 72,648 (82%)
Police personnel who haven’t got the vaccine: 2,993
Police personnel who are medically unfit for vaccines: 2,557 out of 2,993
