Jharkhand residents in the age bracket of 30 years to 44 years formed the highest percentage of people affected by Covid-19 during the first as well as the second wave of the pandemic, and the mortality rate among individuals in this age bracket witnessed a significant spike during the latter even though the fatality rate dropped in other age groups, Government data highlighted on Wednesday.
Figures with the health department revealed that as many as 1,18,629 state residents tested positive for Covid-19 in the first wave of the pandemic and at least 41,468 of them fell in the age bracket of 30 to 44 years. During the second wave, Covid cases almost doubled to 2,11,417 and 66,750 patients were in the aforementioned age group.
During both the waves, people in the age bracket of 30 to 44 years showed the highest rate of infection. In the first wave, about 35 per cent of the cases were reported in people belonging to this age bracket. Around 31 per cent of cases occurred in people of this age bracket during the second wave.
However, while the infection rate among individuals in the age bracket of 30 to 44 years dropped during the second wave, the fatality rate among patients of this age group witnessed a significant rise. As per government data, people in the aforementioned age bracket formed 9.13 per cent of the 1030 Covid fatalities reported during the first wave and 13.42 per cent of the 3509 deaths reported during the second wave.
The fatality rate in all other age groups dropped during the second wave. As per data with the health department, senior citizens accounted for around 53 per cent of the deaths in the first wave and 41.63 per cent in the second wave. People in the age bracket of 45 to 59 years formed 34.08 per cent of the total deaths in the first wave and 31.54 per cent in the second wave. Patients in the age bracket of 15 years to 29 years accounted for 3.20 per cent of deaths in the first wave and 2.17 per cent in the second. The fatality rate among children was also lower in the second wave as compared to the first. Around 0.39 per cent of the deaths occurred in people below the age of 14 years in the first wave, and the percentage dropped to 0.03 per cent in the second wave.
Of the 1030 Covid deaths reported in the first wave, 548 were senior citizens, 351 were in the age bracket of 45 to 59 years, 94 were in the age bracket of 30 years to 44 years and 33 fell in the age bracket of 15 years to 29 years. As many as four patients below the age of 14 years died during this wave.
During the second wave, 1843 of the 3509 fatalities were reported among senior citizens. As many as 1162 of the deceased were 45-59 year-old, while 436 Covid victims fell in the age bracket of 30 to 44 years. At least 67 victims were in the age bracket of 15 years to 29 years and only 1 patient below the age of 14 years died during the second wave.
In totality, around 5 per cent of the patients were younger than 14 years during both the waves, while 28 per cent were in the age bracket of 15 years to 29 years. People in the age bracket of 45 to 59 years formed 23 per cent of the cases in both the waves, while those above the age of 60 years formed 9 per cent of the cases in the first wave and 13 per cent in the second, revealed government data.