Analysis of daily COVID19 death bulletin data during the first two waves of the COVID19 pandemic in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (2019‑nCoV) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. As of 31 December 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had reported 286,698,666 COVID‑19 cases and 5,431,442 related deaths globally, whereas India reported 3,48,27,023 cases and 4,81,162 deaths.[1,2] Concomitantly, the state of Kerala reported 52,47,177 COVID‑19 cases and 47,794 deaths.[3] Among the 14 districts in Kerala, nearly 10% of the cases and the highest number of deaths were reported from Thiruvananthapuram district.[2] Despite these high reported numbers, we found a paucity of local studies on characteristics of COVID‑19 deaths.
From the beginning of the pandemic, Thiruvananthapuram district, with a population of 3.3 million, consistently figured in the top three districts for reported COVID‑19 cases, probably because of the high population density, an international travel hub, a long coastal belt with many seafaring communities, and being a main portal to the neighbouring state.[2‑4] The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala, implemented daily compilation of COVID‑19 cases and deaths, with reports disseminated during daily press meetings chaired by the honourable state Chief Minister. Surveillance based on death counts is classically denominator‑free data. Case‑specific data of all COVID‑19 cases, and not just deaths, are preferable, but often only aggregate data are available on these, even in resource rich countries.[5] Analysing patterns in death counts may still offer clues of disease burden in sub‑groups or changes over time.
Daily death surveillance data included information on basic demographic, disease‑related, and hospital admission details. Analysing potential epidemiological patterns in these may offer important insights to improve treatment outcomes and may help administrators to plan district/state‑specific interventions. Family physicians are often the first point of contact for COVID‑19 patients, and such a study may help identify clinical patterns that may facilitate triage, early referral, or enhanced monitoring of COVID‑19 cases at the primary care level.[6] The objective of this analysis, therefore, was to summarise demographic and clinical characteristics of COVID‑19‑related deaths reported in Thiruvananthapuram district for 22 months ending December 2021.
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