Death Toll on the Rise, Bengaluru's Younger Generation Bears Brunt of Covid-19 Second Wave

With Covid second wave gaining momentum, a report by TOI has revealed that there has been a sharp rise in the death of young people in Karnataka.

The second wave has especially been brutal on the younger generation of the country with many families witnessing the untimely death of their children due to the virus.

Nearly 56% of deaths due to Covid-19 in the 20-49 age group in Karnataka have occurred in the past two months. Of the 4,432 victims in the 20-49 age bracket so far, 2,465 died between March 17 and May 17, reported TOI.

As opposed to the first Covid wave which rarely led to severity among the younger crowd of India, the second toll has exacted a toll with nearly 30 percent of the ICU beds being occupied by the young, said Dr. Mahendra Kumar, medical director of Sagar Hospitals to TOI.

A majority of these crowd seek out hospital beds on the 8 or 11th day of their infection when the viral load has considerably worsened, the doctor added.

“In the second wave, infections are largely being seen among the younger population,” said a Covid technical advisory committee member. While 4.8 lakh people aged 20-29 have been infected so far, the number is 5.1 lakh for 30-39 and nearly 4 lakh in the 40-49 bracket.

While deliberating on the issue, the advisory committee also raised concerns about the slow rates of vaccination of the 18-45 age group which might contribute greatly to the Covid induced fatalities.

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Doctors have also attributed the late administering of medicines and late hospitalization as the contributing factors towards this rise.

“Early intervention can save lives,” claims a doctor while explaining that happy hypoxia, low blood oxygen levels without external signs such as difficulty in breathing occurs 8-10 days after the onset of the virus, and the youngster often reports to the hospital at the later stage when they are completely exhausted.

Couples with the nonavailability of oxygen beds, medicines, and facilities have also made the situation dire for the younger generation of the city.

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