78% Covid deaths in Kanpur due to co-morbidity: Audit

KANPUR: As many as 78% of those who died here while undergoing Covid-19 treatment succumbed to other diseases (co-morbidity), which the virus aggravated, medical experts found during an audit of coronavirus related fatalities in the city. The district administration commissioned the audit on the directives of the state government.

Dr SK Gautam, head of the death audit team, said the work was going on. Co-morbidity had emerged as a key factor behind the deaths and it was clear that the patients had other ailments prior to getting infected, he added. “Their immunity level kept going down. They were fighting their ailments and this virus at the same time. They died as a result,” he said.

Kanpur has reported 554 deaths since April and the team has audited 428 of these cases. It found 336 of these deaths were the result of co-morbidity.

In the 60% of cases, the team concluded that diabetes, pneumonia, hypertension or acute respiratory distress symdrome were responsible for the deaths. Cancer, kidney, heart and gastro related ailments contributed to the other deaths, according to the audit team.

Covid-19 claimed the lives of 78 youths. People between 12-50 years largely passed away due to delayed treatment. They received treatment at home for their symptoms, got their Covid test done late and reached the hospitals accordingly, the team concluded. By that time, the virus had infected their lungs considerably, impairing its functioning, the team observed. As a result, the oxygen saturation level recorded in most of cases was below 40 at the time of admission to hospital, they said.

Nine of the patients were anaemic and their haemoglobin level was found to be below 7. Five patients were injured in road accidents and found Covid-19 positive on being admitted in hospital.