Covid deaths down 44% from June, reveals Delhi govt data

NEWDELHI: The number of deaths reported in Delhi from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) reduced from 1,089 between June 1 and June 12 to 605 recorded between July 1 and July 12, a drop of 44.50%, data shared by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office showed on Sunday.

The analysis, which was conducted by the Delhi health department, showed that in the July period, the deaths recorded within 24 hours of hospital admission dropped to 15%, down from the 34% figure in the June period. The data also showed that the percentage of deaths recorded within four days of admission to hospitals witnessed a drop from 67% to 35% in the two periods.

An official in the CM’s office said they were still to analyse the data on deaths beyond July 12. This is why the comparison was made with the first 12 days of the previous month, the official said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal earlier asked the Delhi health department to take stock of all Covid-19 deaths recorded in the months of June and July and sought reports based on their analysis. The final report was submitted to the CM’s office on Sunday, when Delhi recorded 21 deaths, taking the toll to 3,827.

“The committee formed under the health department to analyse hospital-wise death numbers in June and July attributed the decrease in death figures to widespread tests, distribution of pulse oximeters to patients in home isolation, reduction in response time for the ambulance system, a system developed to check the realtime availability of Covid beds and focus on scaling up ICU beds from around 500 in early-June to more than 2,200 in early-July,” Kejriwal said in a statement.

The data also showed that Covid-19 deaths in the two periods reduced by 58% at Delhi government hospitals, by 55% at central government hospitals and by 25% at private hospitals in the city.

The Delhi and central governments have five Covid-19-dedicated hospitals each. There are about 115 private hospitals in the city with Covid-19-dedicated wards at different scales.

Hospital-wise analysis of the data showed that total deaths visà-vis total admissions in the central government’s RML Hospital dropped from 81% in June to 58% in July.

At Safdarjung Hospital – another central government facility – the number of deaths vis-a-vis total admissions dropped from 40% in June to 31% in July. In Lok Nayak Hospital — Delhi government’s largest Covid hospital — the figure dropped from 28% in early June to 16% in early July, the analysis showed. At the Delhi government-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, the figure was 6% in early June and 7% in early July.

“The CM’s efforts and direct monitoring have rebuilt public confidence in Delhi government hospitals, which have been at the forefront of this turnaround. The chief minister has directed the best performing and worst forming hospitals to analyse their system and suggest specific interventions if needed,” Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said.

Jain said increased testing in the city has ensured that suspected Covid-19 patients can access testing facilities easily without losing time or developing severe symptoms. “This is a reason why fewer people died within 24 hours and four days of being admitted in a hospital.

“The Covid mobile application further ensured patients could easily find a bed in a hospital of their liking – be it private or government – without running around multiple hospitals and losing precious time in the process,” said Jain, adding that in the Corresponding periods, the total Covid-19 beds in Delhi hospitals increased from 3,700 to 15,000.

On Sunday, Delhi reported 1,075 Covid-19 cases, taking the city’s cases so far to 130,606. “Today, Delhi reaches 10th position. People are recovering and No of active cases are steadily going down,” the CM tweeted, sharing a list of the states with the number of active Covid-19 cases.

Dr Jacob John, former professor of virology at the Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, said: “Other states should follow Delhi’s example in the areas of increased tests, distribution of pulse oximeters, focusing on ambulance fleet, ICU beds and developing an interface for Covid bed availability.”

STILL TO ANALYSE THE DATA ON DEATHS BEYOND JULY 12, GOVT OFFICIAL SAYS