BENGALURU: A massive surge in fatalities this month — 6,790 in only 17 days — has pushed Karnataka’s overall Covid-19 toll past that of even Delhi’s, making it the state with the second-highest number of deaths in the country.
Karnataka’s overall case fatality rate (CFR) — deaths among those infected, which is an indicator of the severity of the disease — remains under 1%, against the national average of 1.1%.
As of May 17, Karnataka reported 22,313 deaths from the disease, compared to 21,846 in Delhi. May has been the deadliest month for Karnataka since the outbreak, with a daily average of 400 deaths so far. In the 14 months prior to this, eight did not even report a monthly toll of 400.
Only Maharashtra has reported more deaths (over 82,000) than Karnataka. These two states, along with Delhi, account for nearly 46% of the 2.8 lakh fatalities in India so far. The overall CFR of Delhi and Maharashtra are higher than Karnataka’s.
While Kerala stands third in terms of number of cases, its fatalities are still under 7,000; Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh occupy fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the list of states with the most Covid deaths.
While most states and Union territories have reported more than 1,000 deaths each, only three other than the top five states have more than 10,000 deaths. In contrast, five states/UTs — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu — have still reported less than 100 deaths.
During the second wave, Karnataka reported 2,956 deaths in April, which was more in line with the peak during the first wave, but things began spiralling out of control from May. As reported by TOI, the state reported 5,189 deaths in the first 13 days of the month. Between May 7 and 13, there were more Covid deaths than in any month since last year.
In the next four days (May 14 to 17), the state has added 1,601 deaths at the rate of 400 cases per day, in line with the daily average seen through May. During the first wave, the maximum deaths were reported in August 2020, but the 3,388 deaths reported in that month pale in comparison to the May toll which is double that figure already.
If the daily average toll holds, the state is expected to add at least 4,800 more fatalities in the remaining days of May. That would leave the month with a heavy toll of 11,600 deaths — three times the peak of the first wave.
Among the districts, Bengaluru, which accounts for 43.6% of all deaths, has reported 9,722 fatalities as of May 17, followed by Mysuru (1,410), Ballari (1,090), Dakshina Kannada (819) and Dharwad (803). These five districts reported more than 62% of all deaths in the state. While all districts have now reported a toll of more than 100, four — Gadag, Yadgir, Kodagu and Chitradurga — have fewer than 200 deaths.
Karnataka’s overall case fatality rate (CFR) — deaths among those infected, which is an indicator of the severity of the disease — remains under 1%, against the national average of 1.1%.
As of May 17, Karnataka reported 22,313 deaths from the disease, compared to 21,846 in Delhi. May has been the deadliest month for Karnataka since the outbreak, with a daily average of 400 deaths so far. In the 14 months prior to this, eight did not even report a monthly toll of 400.
Only Maharashtra has reported more deaths (over 82,000) than Karnataka. These two states, along with Delhi, account for nearly 46% of the 2.8 lakh fatalities in India so far. The overall CFR of Delhi and Maharashtra are higher than Karnataka’s.
While Kerala stands third in terms of number of cases, its fatalities are still under 7,000; Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh occupy fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the list of states with the most Covid deaths.
While most states and Union territories have reported more than 1,000 deaths each, only three other than the top five states have more than 10,000 deaths. In contrast, five states/UTs — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu — have still reported less than 100 deaths.
During the second wave, Karnataka reported 2,956 deaths in April, which was more in line with the peak during the first wave, but things began spiralling out of control from May. As reported by TOI, the state reported 5,189 deaths in the first 13 days of the month. Between May 7 and 13, there were more Covid deaths than in any month since last year.
In the next four days (May 14 to 17), the state has added 1,601 deaths at the rate of 400 cases per day, in line with the daily average seen through May. During the first wave, the maximum deaths were reported in August 2020, but the 3,388 deaths reported in that month pale in comparison to the May toll which is double that figure already.
If the daily average toll holds, the state is expected to add at least 4,800 more fatalities in the remaining days of May. That would leave the month with a heavy toll of 11,600 deaths — three times the peak of the first wave.
Among the districts, Bengaluru, which accounts for 43.6% of all deaths, has reported 9,722 fatalities as of May 17, followed by Mysuru (1,410), Ballari (1,090), Dakshina Kannada (819) and Dharwad (803). These five districts reported more than 62% of all deaths in the state. While all districts have now reported a toll of more than 100, four — Gadag, Yadgir, Kodagu and Chitradurga — have fewer than 200 deaths.
