Mumbai continues to contribute the highest number of cases and deaths in the last 27 days. As per the statistics, nearly 75 per cent of Covid deaths recorded in Maharashtra in June are from Mumbai. Of the 51 deaths recorded in the state, 38 were reported from the city.
This is the highest number of deaths reported in a month since March when the state witnessed 31 deaths, of which only two were in Mumbai. Officials have attributed this to the gradual rise in Covid cases and said most of the deceased were elderly and had severe underlying comorbidities.
Data analysed by the Free Press Journal reveals that 21 of 38 Covid deaths that occurred in the city between June 1 and 27 were in the age group of 60 to 90 years, followed by eight in 40-50 year bracket. Seven of the deceased were above 90 years and only two were below 40 years.
Moreover, all of the deceased had comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney and heart diseases associated with Covid. Dr Avinash Supe, head of the Covid Death Audit Committee in Maharashtra said these deaths are still more sparse than in the earlier waves. “I have a feeling that the daily Covid cases will come down in the next few days but we will continue to see deaths like in the last few waves.
Most of these patients were incidental admissions who tested positive during routine screening before another procedure. Most were admitted for other critical conditions and tested positive for Covid,” he said.
Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant pulmonologist and epidemiologist, P D Hinduja Hospital & Research said, “It would be useful to know the details of these unfortunate deaths. Individuals who are immunocompromised or have severe comorbidities often succumb to their underlying disease despite the viral infection being mild.
A cause for concern would be if that were not the case for Covid deaths, as this would suggest a more virulent strain of the virus.” He added that it would be worth knowing if the individual passed away due to Covid or with Covid. Dr Sanjith Saseedharan, consultant and head of critical care, S L Raheja Hospital in Mahim said deaths are usually noticed in the fortnight after the peak and hence there is a rise in the number of deaths at the moment.
“The city is bound to witness these deaths as a minuscule portion of the population wears a mask or takes necessary precautions and as a majority of the people are yet to get the booster shots. With our population density, there are high chances of more people getting infected in the next fortnight, due to which elderly and comorbid patients may need hospitalisation," Dr Saseedharan said, adding that it’s important to take precautions, especially for these individuals, to avoid severe complications.
