KOLKATA: Ahead of the vaccine roll-out in Bengal, state health department data clearly indicate that the 75-plus age group are most at risk due to Covid. In comparison, Covid fatalities across age groups — including the 61 to 75 — has significantly reduced in Bengal. The 0-15 years group and the 16-30 years group have the least Covid-related risks.
The Centre has indicated that Covid vaccine will be offered first to healthcare workers, other frontline workers and to people above 50. The Bengal government has prepared a list of healthcare and frontline workers and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has prepared a separate database for people with co-morbidities.
According to figures released by the state health department, over 11% of all Covid deaths had taken place in this age group alone. The most prevalent co-morbidities remain hypertension, diabetes, cardiac ailments, chronic kidney ailments and COPD. In June-end, Covid fatalities in the 75-plus age group remained at 18.8%. This has dipped progressively. On Sunday, Covid fatalities in this age group were at 11.2% — the most among all age groups in Bengal. Health experts have stressed on vaccinating this elderly populace first.
According to the state health department, the sharpest fall in Covid fatalities has been recorded in the 61-75 age group. In late June, when the state started analyzing the high Covid fatalities in Bengal, the Covid fatality rate (CFR) in this group was around 12%. It started falling month-on-month and, in December, fell below the 5% mark. On Sunday, the CFR in this age group was 4.9%.
In comparison, the Covid fatalities have been a constant 0.1% in both the 0-15 age group and 16-30 age group. This has remained so since June-end. In the 46-60 age group, Covid fatalities have dropped from 4.6% in June-end to 1.6% in December. On Sunday, the state health department data indicated the CFR in this age group was 1.6%.
A fall in the number of elderly cardiac patients — the most-at-risk group — to die of Covid has pushed diabetes to the second-most common co-morbid condition in Bengal, even as hypertension continues to be the number one. This coincided with an overall drop in CFR in the state’s elderly population. In descending order of prevalence, most of the Covid deaths had hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac disease as co-morbidities.
Chronic kidney disease has replaced COPD as the fourth most common co-morbidity among the elderly. For the two highest-risk age groups — 60-75 and 75-above — the primary co-morbidities in Covid deaths initially were hypertension, cardiac ailments and diabetes. A high proportion of elderly patients who died with Covid also had COPD.