Since the outbreak of the pandemic in the city, a majority of citizens who had contracted COVID-19 have reportedly recovered while being under home isolation. Even during the second wave, when the shortcomings of the existing medical infrastructure came to fore, over 90% of COVID-19 patients were placed under home isolation.
New data made available by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reveals that of the 5.66 lakh citizens with COVID-19 who were placed under home isolation between March 1 and June 15 (2021), 910 persons succumbed to the virus. The percentage of home isolation deaths during this period is 0.16%.
BBMP’s chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta, while refusing to acknowledge the numbers, only stated that since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, over 15 lakh citizens had been placed under home isolation. The number of deaths (during March to June 15) was far less than 1%. “Nonetheless, we are reviewing the cases and will act accordingly,” he told reporters.
According to the data, the maximum number of deaths of those under home isolation has been reported from Mahadevapura zone (244), followed by East (251), Rajarajeshwarinagar (119), West (107), South (73), Yelahanka (70), Dasarahalli (38) and Bommanahalli (8). However, in terms of percentage of home isolation deaths (i.e. number of deaths over total number of COVID-19 patients under home isolation), Dasarahalli zone leads with 0.38%. East, Mahadevapura and Rajarajeshwarinagar zones have all registered 0.23% deaths among those under home isolation, followed by West with 0.16% and Yelahanka with 0.14%. Two zones – South (0.07%) and Bommanahalli (0.01%) – have the lowest home isolation death percentage, the data reveals.
Bengaluru home isolation deaths. Source: BBMP
BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Health) D. Randeep said the death audit report was in the process of being finalised and would be submitted to Mr. Gupta shortly. He said the civic body was looking into the reasons for death reported of COVID-19 positive patients placed under home isolation.
“The death audit committee is reviewing over 300 cases and has met several times to discuss the cases. The committee is also likely to place before the BBMP several recommendations on how to improve the existing health systems to prevent deaths,” he said.
Mr. Randeep said that parallelly, the civic body had already begun working towards 100% physical triaging of patients, improving testing and ensuring citizens are tested in a timely manner, apart from ramping up monitoring of those under home isolation, with either regular home visits or tele-monitoring by health officials.
