Majority of deaths occurred among those with co-morbidities

The unvaccinated accounted for 60% of fatalities since Jan.

The majority of persons who died of COVID-19 since January this year in Tamil Nadu had co-morbidities and were aged above 50.

In a letter to the Collectors and the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said a deeper analysis of the fatalities since January 2022 — despite being 10 times lesser than the second wave — revealed that of the total deaths, 97% were persons with co-morbidities and 93% were aged above 50. “Among them, those who were not vaccinated accounted for 60% and those who had taken only one dose an additional 8%,” he said.

The fully vaccinated were mainly those who had other co-morbidities. A preliminary analysis found the co-morbid condition as the immediate or underlying cause of death and COVID-19 was mostly an incidental finding. In a few cases, the persons had ignored the symptoms and come very late for hospital admission, he remarked.