ICMR Chief Explains Why Younger People Are Getting More Affected In Covid Second Wave

Covid second wave is impacting slightly more number of younger people compared to the first wave. Here is the explanation from ICMR Chief Dr Balram Bhargava.

India is reeling under the second wave of the coronavirus infection, which is believed to be more virulent and infectious than the previous wave. The country has been witnessing more than 3 lakh Covid-19 cases every day for the past three weeks. Overall, India's Covid-19 tally has reached 2,29,92,517 and the death toll has gone up to 2,49,992, according to the Union health ministry data. Compared to the first wave, the second wave of the pandemic is impacting slightly more number of younger people, said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Balram Bhargava on Tuesday. This is because younger people suddenly began going out and there are also variants of SARS-COV-2 prevalent in the country which may be affecting them, ICMR chief told a news agency. But Dr Bhargava said that people above the age of 40 remain more vulnerable for adverse outcomes.

No dramatic shift in age profile of Covid patients from first wave

Earlier in April, Dr Bhargava and Dr VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog had said that young people aren't more vulnerable to the current outbreak when compared to the one that ravaged India last year. Official hospital data shows that there was no dramatic shift in the age profile of Covid-19 patients from last year, they had stated in an official briefing.

While people under 30 years contributed 31 per cent of the cases last year, it is now 32 per cent. The average of patients in the first wave was 50 and in the current, it is 49. For patients between 0-19 age group- the difference was 5.8% versus 4.2%, and in 20-40 years age group, the difference was 25 per cent versus 23 per cent. So, here is only a marginal difference, they stated.

Need for oxygen seen more in the second wave

However, they claimed that need for oxygen and shortness of breath among patients was seen more in the second wave. Oxygen utilisation has increased to 54.5% in the second wave, from 41.1% that was seen during the first wave last year. This year, shortness of breath was seen in 47.5% hospitalised positive cases compared to 41.7% last year, said Bhargava.

The death profile has not seen much change from last year, he said, adding that "it is 9.6% hospitalised patients in the first wave and 9.7% among patients in the second wave."

The analysis of the data from the first wave and second wave also found that in both the waves, 70% of those hospitalised were above 40. The experts noted that the first wave data was taken from September to November 2020, and second wave data between February and April, 2021.

With inputs from agencies