33 of 61 patients who died of Covid-19 in Odisha had diabetes

BHUBANESWAR: Five more persons died of Covid-19 infection in state, four of who were diabetic. As many as 570 people tested positive for the virus on Saturday, bringing the infected count in the state to 12,526.
Diabetes has emerged as the most prominent underlying condition among those dying of the viral infection in the state. Of the 61 who have died of Covid-19, at least 33 had diabetes, health department figures show.
The Covid deaths include men aged 46 (Cuttack), 72 (Ganjam) and 70 (Puri) and a woman aged 56 from Bhubaneswar, all of who had diabetes. A 55-year old man from Ganjam district with no known comorbidities also died of Covid.
Another Covid positive patient — a 62-year-old woman from Kendrapada district — who was also diabetic, died of brain tumour. With this, the number of Covid patients who died of non-Covid reasons rose to 18.
The information shared by the health department shows hypertension (10), chronic kidney disease (6) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (5) as other chronic conditions among Covid patients who died. Nine of the patients who died had no existing condition.
Jayant Panda, the government’s technical adviser on Covid-19, said the administration had been sensitizing doctors to the extra vulnerability of diabetic patients. “Uncontrolled diabetes is a known risk factor for complications. All government strategies are keeping that in mind. More than 100 training programmes of doctors and healthcare professionals have been done on this in the state,” he said.
Experts suggested the formation of sub-groups among Covid-19 infected persons so that diabetics testing positive for the virus get more focussed attention.
“Given that more than 50% of patients who died in Odisha were diabetic, the hospitals treating Covid patients must form sub-groups of diabetic patients. Those diagnosed with Covid-19 and having diabetes may be put in one ward where doctors specialising in treating diabetic patients can be deputed,” said Ashok Mahapatra, former director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, who is currently vice-chancellor of SOA University.
A doctor in a Covid hospital said there should a be protocol for timely referral of patients from Covid care centres to hospitals in case of patients with comorbidities.
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