Covid death ratio rises in 25 states and UTs in a week | Economic Times

Twenty-five out of India’s 36 states and Union territories have registered an increase in the Covid-19 death ratio—or fatalities per 100 confirmed cases—over the past week.These include the high-caseload states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Punjab and Jharkhand. While the national death ratio has remained at 1.04-1.1%, 25 states and Union territories have seen an increase in death ratio between May 10 and May 18.According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, Punjab’s case fatality rate rose from 2.38% on May 10 to 2.41% on May 18. While Maharashtra is reporting the highest number of deaths in absolute numbers, Punjab’s deaths have been red-flagged by the Centre as they are high in relation to its population. Maharashtra deaths rose from 549 on May 10 to 1,291 on May 18.What’s also alarmed officials is the increasing case fatality rate in the northeastern states and the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.Northeastern States"The states had remained almost untouched in the first wave. But in the second wave, the virus has spread and the health infrastructure is unable to handle it," a senior health ministry official told ET. "The deaths are also increasing because people are reporting late to medical facilities due to lack of awareness."Almost all northeastern states, barring Tripura, have a death ratio higher than the national average. In Uttarakhand, which had seen a surge in Covid-19 cases following the Maha Kumbh in April, the death ratio has increased from 1.56% on May 10 to 1.74% on May 18. In Himachal Pradesh, it’s risen from 1.43% to 1.48% in the same period.At least 13 states and UTs are reporting death ratios higher than the national average. Among them, smaller states, Union territories and the northeastern states stand out, which the health ministry has pointed out to them. The death ratio of Andaman and Nicobar is 1.38%, up from 1.22% on May 10, Puducherry’s is at 1.38%, up from 1.35% on May 10, and that of Goa is 1.58%, up from 1.42%.The national average, however, has hovered at 1.04-1.1% owing to other states that have managed to bring the numbers down. These include the high-caseload states of Tamil Nadu (1.13 to 1.1%), West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura. In other states and UTs such as Telangana, Chandigarh and Ladakh, the death ratio has stayed almost constant.