With 3,500 Covid Deaths in 7 Days, Karnataka Witnesses the Deadliest Week of Pandemic

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 16, 2021: With 3,500 deaths, Karnataka reported the highest Covid death toll between May 7 and 13 since the outbreak of the pandemic.

As opposed to 3,388 deaths recorded during the peak of the first Covid wave in the month of August 2020, 5,000 deaths were reported in the month of May this year in Karnataka with Bangalore accounting for 2,700 of the cases alone. The daily death average for the state so far in May has been around 400 with 211 in Bengaluru.

The death toll witnessed a 107 percent increase from that of 1,448 between April 24 and 30 and 1,689 deaths between May 1 and 6 to 3,500 from May 7 to 13 marking it the deadliest week of the pandemic.

While more than 2.6 lakh cases were reported in the first six days of this month, it catapulted to more than 2.9 lakh cases between May 7 to 13. The death toll in the second week of May was more than double that of the first week, reported TOI.

Experts are of the opinion that most of these deaths reported were of patients from the last two weeks of April and that the deaths from the surge in cases seen in May would come to the fore in the last two weeks of the month, and possibly spill over to June.

Talking to TOI, BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta said that, unlike the last wave, the problems associated with this wave are genuine, the health system is stretched to its limit and the unprecedented rise in cases has put an enormous burden on oxygen supply and hospital beds.

“Last year, you heard of families not finding ambulances or beds only in the beginning when protocols were being put in place and there was a stigma. This time, there’s a genuine problem,” noted an official.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has temporarily suspended the Covid-19 vaccination for the age group of 18 to 44 years from Friday, as it does not have enough vaccines, the state health department said in a statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, K Sudhakar, Karnataka’s minister for health, family welfare, and medical education said, “We don’t have a shortage as such. As and when the vaccine arrives, we will give vaccination to all. We want to give it to everybody."