Lockdown effect: Bengaluru saw 31% less deaths this April than 2019

Nithya Mandyam | TNN | Updated: May 5, 2020, 09:35 IST

According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data, the city recorded 4,716 deaths this March, compared to 5,400 registered in the same month last year.

According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data, the city recorded 4,716 deaths this March, co...Read More

BENGALURU: The number of deaths in April dropped by 31% in Bengaluru from last year, thanks to the nationwide lockdown measures that have kept citizens confined to their homes for over 40 days now.
According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data, the city recorded 4,716 deaths this March, compared to 5,400 registered in the same month last year. The year-on-year dip was 13% in March in the latter part of which the lockdown kicked in.

The dip in the number of deaths was more pronounced at 3,327 in April, while deaths for the same month in 2019 was 4,806. The 31% year-on-year dip in April when the shutdown was in place throughout the month only confirms the lockdown effect, experts said.
Manipal Hospitals chairman Dr H Sudarshan Ballal told TOI: “The number of Covid-19 deaths in the city is also less compared to the global standards. This is commendable, too. The Covid-19 concerns and the consequent lockdown have made people take health issues seriously and they are working towards staying fit. The number of patients in ICUs has reduced and so is the number of surgeries.”
“Road accidents, potential heart attacks and pneumonia cases have also gone down sharply and these factors play a vital role in death rates,” he added.