Bengaluru: Karnataka has reported the second highest Covid-19 death in six months with January (up to 30) recorded 607 deaths against 137 in December.
August 2021 has seen 756 deaths during the second wave peak.
However, Karnataka posted a record number of deaths during the brutal second wave for four months last year: April sees 2,956 deaths, 13,567, 5,522 fatalities.
At least 360 (or nearly 60%) of 607 deaths in January this year came in one week – 24-30 January.
These include 68 Covid deaths on Sundays.
Although there has been an increase in absolute amounts, the overall death rate in the country is controlled.
On January 30, the country had cumulatively reported 38,942 deaths from nearly 37.8 cases of lakh.
As on Sunday, the case fatality rate was 0.24% compared to almost 1% on December 31.
Health experts and government officials have no reason to worry because Covid-19 is not the only one or the main reason for the death of many patients who have been hospitalized for other diseases.
To ensure the Covid mortality rate provides a clear picture of pandemic, health officials will immediately conduct extensive audits to zero in exclusive or dominant deaths caused by Covid-19 infection.
“Every district conducts its own death audit.
Our officers plan to compile this data from all districts, improve the format, and interpret after arranging the general protocol for the same thing,” Tii Health Commissioner said.
The clinical expert committee has so far identified that a large number of deaths have been among patients who are hospitalized not because of Covid.
“There are examples where patients are recognized for totally different medical reasons and as a result of mandatory swab testing, they are found positive covids.
In the death of patients like that, the protocol requires medical staff to include it as a covid death even if it is not the reason,” Add Randeep.
He said medical staff had tested swabs in patients who had just died and reported their deaths as ‘covid deaths’ if the results were positive.
The Committee plans to meet on Monday and categorize deaths caused directly or indirectly by Covid.
Dr MK Sudarshan, Chairperson, Covid-19 State Technical Advisory Committee, said his team hoped to uncover the social and medical causes during the audit.
Social causes such as delays in testing, care or hospitalization can be overcome through public education, he said.
The total level of participation has fallen since 22.8% on January 22 to 16.3% on Sundays behind the reduction in the number of daily tests conducted.
In the fourth wave, Sudarshan said: “If the new variant is related to arriving, we will have a fourth wave.
The severity depends on the virus virulence, how people keep the health protocol, and the effectiveness of vaccines.”