Karnataka govt’s COVID-19 policy could endanger senior citizens: Experts

The government’s new mantra of “living with the coronavirus,” even as it opens up economic and social activity is said to potentially pose a devastating danger to senior citizens and those with comorbid conditions.

As of Saturday evening, 168 out of the 1,959 novel coronavirus cases registered so far in the state are senior citizens over the age of 60, who have disproportionately borne the brunt of fatalities: 26 out of the 42 deaths registered so far (excluding two suicides). There are fears that these numbers could increase in the days to come.

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With the government’s loosening of lockdown restrictions coupled with the lack of a vaccine, experts warned that the risk posed by the disease to senior citizens and even middle-aged individuals with comorbidities is greater than ever.

On the face of things, 60% of people infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus are those in the age group of 20 to 49. This demographic has enjoyed a 99.6% recovery rate, barring five patients who succumbed to the disease, including Patient 1270, a malnourished 32-year-old resident of a slum in Nagavara who died on Saturday.

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

However, according to Dr Vishal Rao who is involved in COVID-19 plasma therapy, these figures can be misleading. He pointed out that recovery rates vary depending on age category.

“Since a lot of the young people are getting the disease and are mostly immune, there is a belief that the Sars-CoV-2 virus is not really a threat. However, this does not take into account that young people afflicted with the disease can pass it on to their elderly relatives or those with comorbid issues, such as cancer, TB, hypertension, diabetes,” Dr Rao said.

“Most people now returning to work are between the ages of 20 to 49. What happens when they contract the virus and go back home, where elderly people are also living?” he added, warning that the state could find itself in a Sweden-like position.

The nordic country of 10 million has suffered a death toll of 3,925 people so far, out of which 3,476 are senior citizens over the age of 60.

It is a scenario disputed by Pankaj Paney, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare who said that the state is putting in sturdy surveillance and social distancing measures to prevent this from happening. However, the commissioner did not elaborate on these measures.

Reverse Quarantine Needed

Experts, including Dr Giridhar Babu of the State Covid Task Force, proposed the idea of a “‘reverse quarantine” where people susceptible to the virus are protected.

Dr Arvind Kasturi, Head of Community Healthcare, St. John’s National Academy, called on the government to introduce a policy making people clearly aware of what steps to take if they develop symptoms.

“There must be a policy to home quarantine those with asymptomatic or mild symptoms. At the same time, we should have a mechanism to rehouse elderly people in that household with other relatives,” he said.

He added that the government should introduce a policy mitigating the current uncertainty about institutional quarantine, which is potentially making people less inclined to report the disease to authorities.

The young infecting the old

Novel coronavirus case histories are replete with young individuals infecting elderly relatives, often with fatal consequences. Such was the case with Patient 228, a 13-year-old boy from Vijayapura who infected three people including a 62-year-old woman who died on May 5.

Often, the disease can prove ravaging if not caught in time, as a cluster in Bantwal reveals.

Patient 390, a 50-year-old woman who died before she could get proper treatment, ended up triggering a cluster of 13 people, within which, three people died. All were women aged, 58, 78 and 80. Two had comorbidities in the form of hypertension and tuberculosis, respectively.