Public health experts are searching for answers on what could be behind the higher fatalities in West Bengal. (File) Even as Covid-19 cases in West Bengal have been showing a declining trend for more than fifteen days now, the high casualty count remains a cause for concern. According to the health bulletin issued on Tuesday, the number of new Covid cases in the state dropped to 736 over the last 24 hours but the number of deaths continued to remain on the higher side at 34.
In a span of 18 days, state saw the number of cases drop by 8,907.
On January 18, the state’s daily count of infections was as high as 10,430 but the number fell to just 1,523 on February 4. However, there was no commensurate fall in the number of fatalities. As per data from January 18, the state lost 34 people to Covid over a span of 24 hours. The single day toll almost a month later, on February 4, was at 35, pointing to the fact that while the cases have plateaued, the deaths haven’t.
Public health experts are searching for answers on what could be behind the higher fatalities in the state. “The number of fatalities remains a concern for us. Even when daily case count had reached anywhere between 23,000 and 22,000, the number of deaths were roughly the same as they are today when the number of cases has dropped below 1,000. This is definitely worrying.
Comorbidities play an important role in driving Covid cases and deaths. People suffering from heart or lung diseases were dying even before the pandemic arrived. However, in the present scenario, many get admitted with different problems but when tested for Covid, they are found to be positive. While Covid may be behind some of the deaths, the other fatalities could be because of other health issues that the patients had. Another reason could also be that many treat Covid as normal cough and cold and don’t get tested at the right time,”
Dr. Manas Gumta of the state-run Sagore Dutta Medical College and Hospitals told this newspaper.
Gumta said had the state government put out official figures on how many Covid patients were dying due to their comorbid conditions every
day, it would have given a clearer picture on the prevailing situation.
“We have failed to differentiate between deaths caused by Covid complications and comorbidities. The state needs to come up with answers on why the fatality rate is so high despite the steep decline in the number infections. It needs to present relevant data. Owing to a lack of clarity, public health experts are at a loss to explain this trend. If there was better breakup available, it would have been easy for us and the people to assess and analyse the situation better. Many have family members suffering from heart or lung problems. They are at a higher risk of catching the infection. With the number of fatalities continuing to be on the higher side, it’s too early to say that the situation is back to normal,” Gumta added.
On January 9, Bengal had registered 24,287 new Covid cases while the fatality rate was 1.13 per cent. However, the number of deaths recorded on the same day was 18. Similarly, on January 12, when new cases stood at 22,155, the number of deaths was 23.
However, on February 3, while the daily count of cases dropped below 2,000 after a gap of several weeks, the number of fatalities remained high at 36.
Experts stressed the need to significantly ramp up health infrastructure while adding that any undue delay in seeking medical attention could increase the severity of the infection and even lead to more fatalities.
“The daily death count is hovering around 30-35 while there is a steep decline in cases. This is in complete contrast to what the numbers were while the third wave was at its peak. Some people are dying because of comorbidities, especially diabetes or hypertension. As people generally don’t go for regular health check-ups, they are caught unawares when they test for Covid and it takes alarming proportions. When you add Covid to pre-existing comorbidities, it could prove fatal even without giving any warning signs. This is not the time to be careless. Any delay in hospitalisation could also prove costly for the patient. Also, the number of people who think that Covid is nothing but normal cough and cold is on the rise. This is dangerous. The government must bring about infrastructure development of the public health sector to avoid such situations in future,” said Dr. Kajal Krishna Banik, a well-known public health expert and an
epidemiologist.
According to health experts, even obesity, high cholesterol and rising stress levels are adding to the fear of unforeseen complications and even fatalities from Covid.
“We see so many people in their sixties suffering from undiagnosed diabetes and other complications,” said another doctor.
However, doctors said that with the steady fall in the daily case count and positivity rate, the fatalities, too, may slow down in the next 10-15 days once the peak of the pandemic passes and the infections are contained further.
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