Data | COVID-19 not an old man’s disease in poorer nations
The Hindu
Nearly 54% of pandemic-related deaths in lower middle-income countries in 2020 were among people under 65
Using official COVID-19 death counts for 64 countries, a World Bank Policy Research paper has found that middle-income countries saw a compared to high-income countries. According to official reports, on average, across high-income countries, just 11% of the deaths were among those aged under 65. In contrast, people under 65 constituted on average 40% of official COVID-19 deaths in upper-middleincome countries and 54% of deaths in lowermiddle-income countries in 2020. The paper argues that differences in the population age structure of nations can only partly answer these contrasting profiles. Both COVID-19 and age mortality curves are flatter in countries with lower incomes, the report finds. The report also observes that the contrasting mortality patterns could be due to a combination of variation in age patterns of infection rates and infection fatality rates.
The graph shows the age distribution of officially recorded COVID-19 deaths in 2020 by country. A clear distinction in the age profiles of COVID-19 deaths is observed. Fewer deaths among the young were observed in relatively wealthy nations. This trend does not hold for relatively poor countries.
Everyone talks about the Airport Metro, but one look at the pillars and completion seems nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, a faster, cheaper, roomier alternative called the Suburban Rail Airport Corridor is finally getting off the drawing board. This dedicated corridor with its specialised coaches will link the airport to vast stretches of Bengaluru, where the metro connection is still years away.