Delayed Diagnosis of Coronavirus Behind Punjab's High Mortality Rate, Says Health Minister

Chandigarh: On a day Punjab reported a record 106 fatalities due to coronavirus, state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said Delayed diagnosis was the reason behind high mortality rate. Sixty-seven per cent of the COVID deaths took place as patients turned up at a health facility after suffering from suffering from severe symptoms, he said on Wednesday. These cases then become difficult to manage, leading to death, Sidhu said in a statement here.

Punjab on Wednesday reported a new record 106 fatalities due to COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 1,618. The state had reported its highest single-day death figure of 56 on Tuesday.

The minister has appealed to people not to risk their lives by delaying testing for coronavirus. The minister also asked the state police chief to initiate stern action against people spreading misinformation about testing and treatment of the disease. Pointing to reports received from districts about resistance to sampling and testing, the minister said even symptomatic persons with co-morbidities have not been reporting to health care facilities till the disease becomes acute.

This is the cause for maximum coronavirus deaths among patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and kidney problems, he said. Sidhu said over 50 per cent of the deaths in the state have been among diabetics.

Sidhu said the delay in patients reporting at hospitals and health care facilities was on account of a false propaganda and fake news being spread by anti-social elements regarding testing and isolation of patients. These elements were even preventing health teams from organising sampling and screening camps, he said, adding that several cases have been registered against the Rumour-mongers across the state.

In fact, there have been instances of medical teams being manhandled, he said. In one such instance, a medical team that had gone to shift coronavirus patients to an isolation facility at Patran in Patiala was manhandled and when police tried to intervene, villagers attacked them, injuring two cops and damaging their vehicle. Such incidents have created an atmosphere of insecurity and lead to the lowering of health workers' morale, said Sidhu.

The minister appealed to people to help the state government combat the pandemic. He said in the absence of a vaccine, the only option was to follow the health protocols in letter and spirit.