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As the number of Covid-19 positive cases crossed the 1,050-mark in Telangana, an interesting insight into the demographics offers hope in tackling the virus.
As many as 77 per cent of all the victims are under the age of 50 years. And, 55 per cent of the total patients are in the age group of 21-50 years, who are mobile and in the productive age group.
Those in the age group of 61-70 years and 71-80 years are impacted less, at only 7 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively. Gender-wise, men suffered more, with a share of 66.5 per cent of the total cases, with women constituting the 33.5 per cent.
The youth and middle-aged people have better capacity to fight the disease. No wonder as many as 500 patients have been discharged after treatment at the Gandhi Hospital so far, the nodal hospital for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. While 29 people have succumbed so far, about 550 patients are under various stages of treatment.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender insisted that most of the dead patients had co-morbidities, while healthy people are able to fight the virus well.
Protect elders
Dr Virinchi Virivinti, who has been producing YouTube videos and social media content creating awareness on the infections and precautions to be taken, points out that it’s predictable that more of the youth are getting infected with the virus.
“It is quite possible because of the higher percentage of youth in the country’s population. This is actually a welcome development. The youth have the ability to fight and withstand the virus,” Dr Virinchi, a clinical cardiologist, said.
According to statistics provided by the Health Department, youth in the age group of 21-30 years are taking the maximum hit, with a share of 21 per cent in the total incidence. This is followed by those in the age group of 31-40 years with 19 per cent of the total cases.
The incidence rate is coming down as the age profile increases. While those in the group of 41-50 years take a burden of 15 per cent of the cases, about 14 per cent of the cases are found in the 51-60 years group.
Considering that fatalities are higher among the elderly, the youth should take enough care at home so they don’tinfect their elders, Dr Virinchi pointed out.
“If we protect our elders, we can reduce the number of deaths,” he said, citing global examples where very high number of deaths among old people have been reported.
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