50% deaths within 24 hours of admission to hospitals in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: At least 50% of Covid-19 deaths that the district reported over the past 10 days had occurred in 24 hours of hospitalization.
Of the 53 deceased during the period, three were brought dead to hospital, 24 died within 24 hours of admission and another three succumbed to the virus within 36 hours of hospitalization.
Doctors say all the 30 patients were brought to hospitals in advanced stages of pneumonia and lung infection. While the generic reason for their sudden death is the delay in seeking medical aid, why they still arrive late despite awareness creation has left the district administration puzzled.
As per the state government’s media bulletin, the Covid-19 toll in the district was 85 as on Tuesday. Out of them, 53 were recorded in the past 10 days. All the 24 patients, who died within 24 hours of hospitalization during the period, were admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).
CMCH dean Dr P Kalidas said, “All of their lungs were severely affected. At the time of arrival, they had bilateral pneumonia and 25% to 30% of their lungs was affected. They also had major complications and comorbidities such as heart problems, paralytic strokes, diabetes and renal failures.”
He said no amount of emergency measures could save patients who came with severely affected lungs and oxygen saturation levels of less than 85%. “They came with oxygen saturation levels of 82% to 85% and severe breathlessness. We put them immediately on high-flow oxygen beds and administered steroids and antiviral drugs such as remdesivir or ivermectin. But they didn’t recover and often collapsed in three to six hours.”
While some patients are not brought to hospitals until it is too late, doctors say some go to private hospitals and get admitted for a few days, but conceal that information. “We know a patient who was tested positive for the virus and admitted to a private hospital for four days. When the patient’s condition rapidly deteriorated, they sent that person to our hospital, where he died in two hours,” the CMCH dean said.
Others, he said, went to nearby private hospitals, which gave them medicines and either sent them back home or admitted a few days, without realizing they were infected with Covid-19. He, however, admitted that a majority of patients were brought for medical attention too late, despite awareness creation initiatives. He said the community medicine department at the hospital has begun a death audit to ensure no body was given to families for funeral, as that might lead to another outbreak.
The public health department says it is high time every family with a member with comorbidities owned a pulse oximeter and kept checking their saturation rate twice a day. G Ramesh Kumar, deputy director of public health, said, “We are conducting fever camps and identifying people with symptoms and comorbidities to help them get medical aid without delay. Some people, especially the elderly, generally shy away from hospitals due to fear.”