CHENNAI: A whopping 82 per cent of people who died of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu had comorbidities, while 63 per cent of people who died of the disease were above the age of 60, as per data from the Health Department. The data, part of a presentation shown to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, shows that of the 12,200 deaths till January 7, as many as 10,118 patients had comorbidities and 7,613 were aged above 60. A total of 3,924 people (32 per cent) were aged between 41 and 60.
A total of 591 people in the 21-40 age group died of Covid-19, which is five per cent, while 38 people in the 0-20 age group (less than one per cent) succumbed to the disease. A break up of the age group-wise data shows that 31 per cent of deaths were of patients between the ages of 61 and 70, while 23 per cent of deaths were of people aged 51 to 60, and 22 per cent of deaths were of people in the 71-80 age group. Among the deceased, 73 per cent were male and 27 per cent were female.
Reflecting on the data, former Director of Public Health Dr K Kolandasamy said it is a clear sign that the vulnerable population must take care of themselves. “Herd immunity and the natural infection is still going on, and it may take at least three or four months for the surroundings to be safe for those above the age of 60 years to move about,” he told Express.
He added that herd immunity is still not sufficient to eliminate the virus and those who are vulnerable must hold on for three more months. “By then, the vaccination would gain pace and the atmosphere will be safer,” he asserted. Infectious diseases expert Dr Subramanian Swaminathan of Gleneagles Global Health City said the data validates the assessment of how comorbid and vulnerable people are at greater risk. “Deaths must not be occurring in the 40-60 age bracket. This is concerning. The deceased from the age group may have had serious comorbidites,” he said.
Meanwhile, 11 districts in Tamil Nadu recorded an average of zero deaths per day between December 29, 2020 and January 1, this year. Except Coimbatore and Chennai, the rest of the districts have an average of less than one death per day between the same period. In Chennai, daily deaths in the past 10 days are at an average of 4.4 and in Coimbatore it is 1.3. However, in most districts, in the last two weeks from December 25 to January 7, deaths recorded were lesser than the first week. Chennai alone recorded an equal of 31 deaths in both weeks but it is still lesser, compared to what the city and state recorded in the Covid peak.