In three months, Mumbai-Karnataka region's six districts almost doubled their Covid-19 death toll

The second wave of Covid-19 was severe, and the numbers in the State medical bulletin reveal how in a span of three months -- from April 1, 2021, to July 4, 2021-- the six districts of the Mumbai-Karnataka region almost doubled their new cases and deaths.

With 603 Covid deaths, Dharwad reported the highest number of casualties in the region during the second wave followed by Uttara Kannada (512), Belagavi (450) and Haveri (414).

According to the State medical bulletin, Dharwad had reported 628 deaths in the first wave (from March 23, 2020, to April 1, 2021). The district reported its first Covid case on March 23, 2020, and its first death on June 10 the same year, when a 58-year-old man from Girani Chawl in Hubballi succumbed to the virus.

However, in the second wave that started peaking from April 14, Dharwad reported 603 deaths taking the total deaths in the district in both waves to 1,231. In terms of cases also, the district saw a sudden spike. Till April 1, 2021, the district had reported 23,036 cases, whereas, in the next three months, the cases shoot up by 37,034. As of July 4, 2021, the district has reported 60,070 cases.

The neighbouring Belagavi district reported the highest number of positive cases in the second wave.

From 27,460 cases in the first wave, Belagavi added 48,692 cases in the second wave to take its total tally to 76,152 cases, which is the highest in the M-K region. In terms of deaths too, the district saw a rise of 230%. On April 1, 2021, the district had reported a total of 344 deaths, and in the next three months, it added another 450 cases to take the tally to 794.

Uttara Kannada highest

Uttara Kannada was the worst affected district in terms of the percentage rise in both cases and deaths.

The district saw a 384% hike in death cases in the second wave. The district, which had minimised its causalities to just 180 in the first wave, added 512 cases in the second wave. Uttara Kannada has so far reported 692 death cases in both waves, while its positive cases shot up by 37,037 cases from 15,035 to 52,072 cases.

Haveri had a peculiar situation. While its positive cases were less, it was the death rate that worried the administration the most. For 10,630 new cases that the district reported in the second wave, it added 413 deaths, a whopping 317% rise from the first wave. The district had reported only 190 deaths in the first wave, whereas by the end of the second wave it clocked 604 cases. The positive cases went up from 11,056 to 21,690.

Bagalkot added 181 deaths and 21,087 new cases to its first wave tally. In the first wave, the district had reported 136 deaths, whereas, on July 4, 2021, it had reached 317 death counts. On April 1, 2021, it had reported 13,931 cases.

Gadag was the district wherein the least death cases reported. It added 167 deaths and 14,636 cases to its first wave tally. As of July 3, the district has reported 25,848 cases and 309 deaths.