TN COVID-19: A closer look at the numbers as Madurai’s coronavirus toll crosses 400

MADURAI: The number of people who died due to the coronavirus infection in Madurai district crossed 400 on Wednesday. With the latest figures, Madurai district has the fifth highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the State. An analysis of the State health department’s bulletins revealed that in the 402 deaths, recorded as on Thursday, close to 75 percent of the deceased were aged between 50 and 80, and 57 per cent were diabetic. 

Tamil Nadu's first COVID fatality was recorded in the district on March 25. Until May, the district's death toll stood at three, but from mid-June the number of deaths began to soar, and by the end of June, as many as 40 COVID deaths (10 percent of the district’s total tally) were reported. 

The toll reached its peak in July, as the district recorded a whopping 206 deaths (51.2% of the total). However, from August, the number of deaths started decreasing. While August saw 105 deaths (26.1%), September recorded just 36 deaths (9%). So far in October, 12 deaths (3%) have been recorded. 

While 53.2 percent of COVID casualties were recorded at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), 43.8 percent of deaths occurred at private hospitals. 

Among the deceased, 72.4 percent were men and 27.6 percent were women. The youngest COVID fatality in Tamil Nadu is a four-day-old girl from Madurai who died at the GRH on August 2. The district's oldest COVID fatality is a 94-year-old man who died at a private hospital here on July 14. 

Nearly 35 percent of the COVID fatalities in the district occurred within 48 hours of hospitalisation. 

While 20.9 per cent of the deceased did not have any comorbidity, 2.2 per cent of them were found to be obese and 2.2 per cent had cancer. Diabetic patients accounted for 57 per cent of the total fatalities while around 40.5 per cent of deceased had hypertension. The other highly prevalent comorbid conditions are coronary artery disease (11.4%) and chronic kidney disease (9.5%).