BENGALURU: Ever since the pandemic began, it has been the aim of the state government to bring the Covid-19 Case Fatality Rate (CFR) below 1 per cent. However, state Covid-19 War Room data shows that 20 of 30 districts still have CFR higher than 1 per cent. Haveri, Dharwad, Ballari, Bidar and Shivamogga have the highest CFR. The remaining 10 districts have CFR below 1, the lowest being Chitradurga, Udupi, Yadgir, Chikkamagaluru and Raichur.
Dr K S Satish, noted pulmonologist and member of the State Covid-19 Death Audit Committee, said that late presentation of patients is still a problem outside Bengaluru. Lack of facilities in some districts may be a problem too, he added.
“We also need to check vaccination status in districts with high CFR, as vaccines prevent severe Covid-19 disease and death, even if the person gets infected. In the US, states with low vaccination rates have a higher number of deaths,” Dr Satish said. It is also a case of statistical jugglery, said Dr CN Manjunath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and member of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee.
“When the total number of positive cases comes down, fewer deaths get reflected in a higher percentage. This is despite the absolute number of fatalities being low,” he informed. CFR is a lag indicator. If we observe the positivity rate going down, two to four weeks after, the fatality rate also goes down,” said Dr Pradeep Banandur, head of epidemiology department at the NIMHANS.
“Case Fatality Rate is slow to come down but once the fresh caseload decreases, deaths will too. Vaccination is a magic wand that is proven to bring down Covid-19 fatalities. We must focus on this apart from patients getting tested and treated early,” Dr Banandur explained. Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar was unreachable for comment.