In Mumbai, ten in every 100 coronavirus patients over the age of 50 have died due to the infection, data from the city’s civic agency has revealed. The case fatality rate in individuals over the age of 50 is 10.4%, greater than Mumbai’s average which stands at 5.4%, reveal figures available for 1,32,221 infections and age-wise listing of 6, 419 fatalities.
According to a report in Hindustan Times , out of those over the age of 50 years, the 80-89 age group is the most vulnerable with the maximum case fatality rate of 21.2%, that is, out of the 3,131 who tested positive for Covid-19, 664 succumbed to the infection. In the 70-79 age group, 9,463 persons tested positive and 1,496 died, putting the case fatality rate at 15.81%. Meanwhile, the maximum number of fatalities was seen in the 60-69 age group, with 2,122 deaths from among 18,454 individuals. The case fatality rate of this age bracket stood at 11.49%. At 0.49%, the case fatality rate is lowest in children below the age of nine years, with 12 fatalities of the total 2,439 cases.
Doctors say that a higher fatality rate is found in senior citizens because of a ‘compromised’ immune system, along with the presence of co-morbidity.
Dr Shashank Joshi, who was part of the Maharashtra government’s task force constituted to bring down the mortality in the state told the publication that senior citizens are more vulnerable because they have weaker immunity.”There is something called as immunological aging. The body’s ability to mount a robust response becomes weak with age. Senior citizens also have higher incidence of co-morbidity such as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases,” Joshi added.
A top Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official told HT that testing on time and informing about symptoms like cough or feeling breathlessness is critical, especially in older patients. “BMC is doing door-to-door surveys to locate senior citizens with co-morbidity and low oxygen saturation, so they can be made aware about the risk they have from the illness, and receive medical help on time,” the official was quoted as saying.
Till now, the BMC has screened 874,275 senior citizens, and it discovered that 3,097 of them to have oxygen saturation below 95. What is further causing concern to officials is that out of the total, 5,036 senior citizens reside in containment zones.
Mumbai on Thursday reported 1,350 new cases and 30 deaths. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the city thus climbed to 1,40,888 and death toll to 7,535. The number of active cases in Mumbai is 19,463.
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