Coronavirus Outbreak: Maharashtra mortality rate higher than national, global averages, says report; over three-fourth of state's COVID-19 dead are male

As India’s coronavirus cases surged past the 7,400 mark, it became clear that the state of Maharashtra is facing the worst of the pandemic in the country with confirmed cases nearing the 2,000 mark. A recent study from the Public Health Department of Government of Maharashtra has revealed that not only does the state account for nearly a fifth of the national burden of COVID-19 cases with the highest nationwide tally, the state also has recorded a high mortality rate from the virus. According to a report by  Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Drug Department, dated 11 April, the mortality rate in Maharashtra at 6.98 percent, which is higher than the world average of 6.10 percent and more than double the national average of 3.21 percent. The data used in the report is prepared on the basis of information published by the World Health Organisation Daily Situation Report, Ministry of Health Family Welfare mohfw.gov.in and Daily Press Note released by the state’s Public Health Department. It accounts for cases reported till 10 am on Tuesday. Maharashtra with 110 deaths also accounts for the highest number of fatalities in the country followed by Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Maharashtra accounts for 46 percent of the 239 deaths reported across the nation, the report said.

Table 1 - Comparison of COVID-19 cases and deaths

Among other states, Punjab is at the top of the list with a mortality rate of 8.33 percent mortality rate with 132 confirmed cases and 11 deaths. Madhya Pradesh with 435 cases and 33 death recorded the second-highest mortality rate at 7.59. Jharkhand which recorded 7.14 mortality rate has reported just one death due to the novel coronavirus and and currently has 14 cases. Maharashtra, which occupies the fourth position in terms of mortality rate among all states, is followed by Gujarat with a mortality rate of 6.17 percent. Click here for LATEST updates on coronavirus outbreak The situation is worrying in Maharashtra as the total number of cases in the state is nearing 2,000 cases. The report also analyses the age-wise distribution of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra. Although existing data on the coronavirus says that older people are more vulnerable to infectious disease, Maharashtra has recorded the least number of cases from people between the age gap of 71 to 90 years. The report states that about 20 percent (321) of the patients are between the age group of 41 to 50 years.

The reports also pointed out that male COVID-19 patients accounted for more deaths than female patients. From the total number of fatalities, 69 percent of the people who died were males while about 31 percent were females.

Table 2: Percentage mortality among males and females (N = 110)

The report also said that almost 87 percent of patients currently admitted to hospitals in Maharashtra are asymptomatic, meaning they did not show any symptoms of COVID-19 disease when they were first tested. Patients with COVID-19 disease may not show symptoms for more than 7 to 8 days and hence may get missed out. They can still be potential carriers and spreaders or the virus. However, extensive screening and tracing of contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases can help report these cases. The study also says that the state records about three percent of critical cases. On Thursday, Maharashtra reported 162 new coronavirus cases as of Thursday morning, the highest jump in cases the state had recorded in a single day. According to PTI, of the 162 new cases, 143 were from Mumbai, the financial hub of the country. The metropolis, as per the report, accounts for the highest number of cases in the state with 1,008 patients and the highest number of deaths with 64 succumbing to the virus in the metropolis. Pune comes second with 219 cases and 25 fatalities, followed by Kalyan-Dombivali with 34 cases.