Madurai district has registered a COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.5, the second highest in Tamil Nadu after Sivaganga district, as on August 28.
The recovery rate, ironically, is also the second highest, with an average of 91 recoveries on each day of the past week. Officials say quick identification and massive testing helped in ensuring high recovery rates. As many as 350 COVID-19 deaths were recorded tilln Friday, with an average of three deaths a day. Although the highest number of deaths recorded in a single week was 54, between July 17 and 23, the number has come down drastically to 19 between August 21 and 27.
Government Rajaji Hospital Dean J. Sangumani says the CFR is due to late referrals by private hospitals as a large number of patients were admitted with moderate and severe symptoms and comorbidities. “The patients had either one or multiple comorbidities. Many had chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, leukaemia and a number of other comorbidities. There are only few cases where patients die purely because of COVID-19 induced pneumonia,” he says.
“Late referrals from private hospitals posed a problem as many patients could barely survive for a day. But such cases have come down along with reduction in overall cases,” he says.
Regarding the high recovery rate, Deputy Director of Public Health Priya Raj says conducting fever camps on a large-scale, recognising symptomatic patients in advance and ensuring quarantining until recovery are some of the key strategies employed in ensuring a recovery rate of 91 in the district. “Institutional discharge from COVID-19 treatment centres are high as only those with mild symptoms are housed there,” she says.
Dr. Sangumani says they plan to reduce the death rate in the following weeks as they have a ‘zero-delay triage’ which ensures quick attention to patients. “The government provided ample medicines and facilities. Death audits are being conducted with private hospitals,” he says.