Delhi: 57% COVID-19 deaths aged below 40 had no co-morbidities
What's the story
Over half the people who died due to COVID-19 in Delhi and were under the age of 40 years had no co-morbidities, the response to an RTI (Right to Information) query filed by The Indian Express has found.
According to experts, the elderly and those with co-morbidities are notably more susceptible to severe or fatal cases of COVID-19.
Here are more details.
Data
12% of all deaths among people under 40 years
According to the report, between March 1 and September 30, 5,283 people had died of COVID-19 in the national capital.
Among them, 650 people were in the age group 0-40 years, making up 12% of the total number of deaths within the period.
284 or 43% of these cases involved co-morbidities while the remaining 366 deaths (57%) did not involve any co-morbidities.
Quote
'In younger people, co-morbid instance lower'
Dr. Neeraj Nischal—an associate professor at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Medicine Department—told TIE, "The older ones are also more prone to co-morbid conditions. In younger people, this instance is lower."
Dr. Nischal added, "The only predictable thing about the virus is its unpredictability and everyone needs to take care. Apart from co-morbid conditions, factors like lifestyle and nutrition are also important."
Background
Overall, nearly half of COVID-19 deaths don't involve co-morbidities
Until the third week of May, 85% of COVID-19 deaths in Delhi involved co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and pneumonia. The Delhi government has since stopped sharing age and co-morbidity co-relations of those who died.
Over the past several months, this figure has dropped to 55%, TIE reported, indicating that almost half of all deaths did not involve any co-morbid conditions.
Outbreak
Delhi reports 3.4 lakh cases, over 6,000 deaths
Until Wednesday, Delhi had reported a total of 3,40,436 COVID-19 cases, out of which, 3,10,191 patients have recovered. The death toll is 6,128. Of late, Delhi has witnessed a rise in infections.
Across India, 77,06,946 cases were reported until Thursday morning, according to the Union Health Ministry's data. 68,74,518 people have recovered nationwide since the beginning of the pandemic. The death toll is 1,16,616.