83% of COVID-19 deaths linked to comorbidities in TN

COVID-19 or comorbidity?

As many as 184 of the 220 (83.5%) COVID-19 patients who died in Tamil Nadu till June 4 had one or multiple comorbidities, a close look at the data released by the state health department shows.

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Though experts do not agree with the classification of deaths, Tamil Nadu has been categorising COVID-19 fatalities into exclusive novel coronavirus deaths and deaths due to comorbidities. Though the mortality rate in the state stands at less than one percent, the increasing number of deaths reported in the past few days is certainly a cause of concern with five people below 50 years of age losing their lives on June 4 alone.

The data also reinforces the fact that the elderly population is more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and the mortality rate among them could be high. According to the data analysed till June 4, 53.5% of the deceased were above 60 years of age, while 38.5% were between 40 and 60, and 8% were below 40 years.

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Of the comorbidities, uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases top the list, while patients with kidney ailments and those undergoing chemotherapy have also lost their lives. The data says of the 27,256 positive cases reported as on June 4, 1,506 are between the ages of 0-12, 23,038 are between 13 to 60 and 2,712 persons are above the age of 60.

Dr J Amalorpavanathan, former director of the Institute of Vascular Surgery at Madras Medical College here, told DH that classifying deaths on the basis of comorbidities was not the right thing to do by the government.

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“If someone tests positive for COVID-19 and loses life, the death is due to COVID-19. The government should just go by the definition of COVID-19 death of the World Health Organisation,” he said.