Covid-19: 40% deceased had no comorbidities

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 3

The second Covid wave has come as a shocker for the district as almost 40 per cent of those who died had no comorbidities.

Of the 63 deaths reported between April 1 and May 2, 25 victims were without any comorbid conditions. Not only are people without comorbidities dying, the disease is taking a toll on young people too.

Going by the data of the Health Department, 11 persons who died due to Covid were aged 45 or below. Some of them, whose condition deteriorated very quickly, were as young as 25-35 years, said the department.

Experts and doctors say young persons and those without comorbidities tend to remain complacent about the dangers of the deadly virus. This attitude made them more vulnerable to the infectious disease, they said.

Civil Surgeon Dr Jasjeet Kaur said: “There is a burden of undiagnosed illness among the elderly population. Many patients had comorbid conditions, which they were unaware of.”

She said the new variants of the virus were more aggressive, making people severely sick for a prolonged time.

“Even after their discharge from hospitals, oxygen levels of patients dip to dangerously low levels,” she added.

Terming it a cause for concern, the Health Department had recently attributed the rise in deaths to not seeking timely medical help. It had also advised Covid patients in home isolation to keep a check over their oxygen level to avoid medical emergencies. 

Experts: Complacent attitude to blame

Experts say young persons and those without comorbidities tend to remain complacent. This attitude has made them more vulnerable to the infectious disease, the experts add.