Covid primary cause in 23.5% deaths reported in Delhi from Jan 13 to Feb 3

Of the 693 fatalities recorded in Delhi between January 13 and February 3, COVID-19 was the primary cause of death in only 23.5 per cent of the cases, according to official data.

In 530 cases, the COVID-19 finding was incidental while in nine cases, the virus was detected among trauma patients.

An analysis of the data showed that of the 693 deaths recorded during the period, the virus was the primary cause in 163 cases.

In 530 fatalities, the finding of the virus was incidental as the patients had comorbidities and were ailing for long, according to officials.

"The deaths where COVID-19 is reported in the patients are treated as coronavirus deaths. It is an established principle. We have a panel of experts and the analysis was done to see whether there was a pattern to the pneumonia that was typical of Covid, but it was found that the fatalities were among those who were end-stage patients," an official had said earlier.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been stressing that a majority of the patients who succumbed to COVID-19 during the third wave of the pandemic had comorbidities.