Kerala faces new challenge of deaths due to post-Covid ailments

Kerala faces new challenge of deaths due to post-Covid ailments

The health department is seriously worried over the new trend in which people who have recovered from Covid are increasingly affected by other health problems, often proving fatal

K RAVEENDRANUpdated: Friday, February 12, 2021, 01:26 AM IST
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Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala Lokanath Behera being administered a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Feb 11, 2021. | PTI

Thiruvananthapuram: After a disastrous credibility loss on its Covid campaign, Kerala is faced with a new challenge in the form of a steep increase in the number of patients with post-Covid health problems and fatalities.

It is a double whammy for the state, which boasts the best healthcare system in the country, that the number of persons who have died after testing negative for Covid-19 at the end of their treatment, has recorded a significant increase in recent times.

The health department is seriously worried over the new trend in which people who have recovered from Covid are increasingly affected by other health problems, often proving fatal. At the same time, no audit has been conducted to determine the exact number of deaths recorded due to this problem.

Among the most important post-Covid health issues being noticed in the state are heart attacks, blood clotting in the brain and other vital organs, respiratory problems, insomnia and psychological disorders.

So far, over 93,000 people have undergone treatment at the state government’s post-Covid clinics for these problems, many of them requiring intensive care as well as the help of ventilators. A preliminary analysis of the patients indicates that respiratory problems account for the highest number of over 7,000, followed by ortho-related complaints, with over 3,300, and heart ailments with over 1,600 cases.

A similar number of patients have sought treatment for psychological disorders following the difficult time they spent while undergoing treatment for Covid. Even for those without any serious ailment during the attack, the psychological problems of their isolation seem to have lingered on.

The loss of control over the disease and the adverse publicity in its wake seem to have unsettled the state government, which has all along been flaunting its initial success with its Covid campaign. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed the other day that a deliberate campaign was going on to denigrate the state’s track record with Covid fight.

He cited statistics, including the low death rate in the state due to Covid, to claim that Kerala still enjoyed a few advantages vis-à-vis other states in fighting the virus. He further claimed that the higher daily caseload in the state was due to the high number of tests, compared to other states, although available statistics did not warrant such a view.

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