Covid fatality rate in Bengal highest among people over 75 years: Health dept

Bengal’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 98,459 on Monday.

At 13.89 per cent, the COVID-19 fatality rate in West Bengal is the highest among people aged above 75 years, the health department said in its bulletin. In the age group of 61-75 years, the rate stands at 6.58 per cent, it said. The department, however, did not mention the total number of COVID-19 deceased in the respective age groups.

According to an official of the health department, who is also a doctor, most of those belonging to the age bracket of 61-75 years were found suffering from hypertension, diabetes or other ailments such as renal disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), which ultimately led to their demise.

Age is definitely a factor, as the body’s immune system tends to weaken as people grow old, which, in turn, affects their ability to combat a disease, senior physician Dr Syamasis Bandyopadhyay said.

“Moreover, they are also fighting multiple age-related ailments like diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, renal failure and more. That is why the COVID-19 death rate is comparatively higher among the older population,” the senior physician told PTI. So far, as many as 1,861 coronavirus-affected in the state have died due to comorbidities, and COVID-19 in these cases were “incidental”.

Bengal’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 98,459 on Monday, with 2,905 fresh cases. Forty-one people succumbed to the infection, taking the death toll in the state to 2,100.