The impact of Covid-19 in Chhattisgarh, India: A descriptive study

A BSTRACT Background: India is among the most severely affected countries in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, second to the USA. Until July 2022, there were 43 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 0.53 million Covid-19 deaths in India. Chhattisgarh, the twelfth-highest affected state by Covid-19 disease, has had an enormous mortality toll, with 14,046 deaths by 15 th July 2022. This study is a descriptive analysis of the Covid-19 deaths across Chhattisgarh from September 2021 to February 2022 (the third pandemic wave). Materials and Methods: All Covid-19 deaths that occurred between September 2021 to February 2022 were line-listed, and family members of all who died in the hospital were interviewed. Results: 356 Covid-19 deaths were included in the present study. The top three districts which observed maximum deaths (63.48%) were Raipur (27.53%), Durg (15.45%), and Bilaspur (7.87%). Around 50% of the deceased were of age 65 years or above. The male deaths were twice as compared to the female deaths. The RT-PCR was the most used testing method, followed by RAT. Most of the admissions (58%) were in a government facility. Among the deceased, 60% had one or two associated comorbidities. Hypertension and Diabetes were the most common comorbidity identified. Almost 90% of patients were symptomatic. Breathlessness was the most common symptom. Half of the deceased were not vaccinated. The median expenditure on Covid-19 management was ₹ 50,000 (€ 565.13). Conclusion: The deaths in the study were urban-centric. Higher Covid-19 mortality was observed in unvaccinated older men (≥65 years) with one or more comorbidity.