India News | More Than 20 Pc of 2,059 COVID-19 Victims in Bengal 61 Yrs and Older: Health Dept Official

Kolkata, Aug 10 (PTI) Over 20 per cent of the 2,059 COVID-19 patients who died in West Bengal were 61 years of age and older, a senior health department official said on Monday.

According to the official, who is also a doctor, most of those belonging to the age bracket of 61-75 years were found suffering from hypertension, diabetes or other ailments such as renal disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), which ultimately led to their demise.

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At least 20.79 per cent of 2,059 COVID-19 victims were 61 years of age and above, the health department official said

Of them, 14.18 per cent were over 75 years, and 6.61 per cent belonged to the age group of 61-75, he said.

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Age is definitely a factor, as the body's immune system tends to weaken as people grow old, which, in turn, affects their ability to combat a disease, senior physician Dr Syamasis Bandyopadhyay said.

"Moreover, they are also fighting multiple age-related ailments like diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, renal failure and more. That is why the COVID-19 death rate is comparatively higher among the older population," the senior physician told PTI.

As many as 1,822 coronavirus-affected in the state have died dued due to comorbidities, and COVID-19 in these cases were "incidental".

Out of the total 2,059 COVID-19 victims in Bengal, 2.32 per cent are male and 1.83 per cent female.

Among the deceased men, 25.48 per cent died due to hypertension, 20.27 per cent were suffering from diabetes, and 21.49 per cent with COPD.

Similarly, 25.56 per cent of the women who died were suffering from hypertension, 24.44 per cent had COPD and 20.23 per cent were diabetic.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)