Covid-19: Diabetes, hypertension most common comorbidities in people who died in Gauteng

Gauteng has recorded 3 144 Covid-19-related deaths as of Thursday and in over half of the deaths, the deceased were suffering from either or both diabetes and hypertension.

According to data published by Gauteng’s provincial command council, diabetes and hypertension remained the most common comorbidities among those who were recorded as dying of Covid-19.

The death analyses said 1 799 (57%) of the Covid-19 deceased suffered from either or both diabetes and hypertension.

A breakdown of these comorbidities revealed that:

· 764 (26%) of the deceased had hypertension

· 429 (14%) of the deceased had diabetes

· 606 (19%) suffered from both ailments

A total of 126 (4%) of the deceased suffered from renovascular disease or HIV, while 95 (3%) were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or asthma.

In 435 cases, the analysis listed the comorbidities as other and in 689, the deceased either had no comorbidities or the underlying conditions were unknown.

Days diagnosed/admitted before death

Looking at the number of days after Covid-19 patients were either diagnosed or admitted to hospital before dying, Gauteng Department of Health COO Lesiba Malotana said it was clear many people presented themselves too late for treatment at hospitals.

According to the data, 1 806 (58%) of the Covid-19-related deaths occurred within a week of being diagnosed or admitted to hospital.A further breakdown revealed that:

· 1 175 (38%) of the deaths occurred within 3 days of either being diagnosed or admitted to hospital

· 935 (30%) of the deaths occurred within two days

· 331 (11%) of the deaths occurred within a day

· 321 (10%) of the deaths occurred within hours of either diagnosis or admission

A total of 1 139 (36%) of the deaths occurred after a week or more of being diagnosed with Covid-19 or being admitted to hospital for treatment for the virus.

Age and gender breakdown

Of the 3 114 deaths recorded as of 20 August, 54% of the deceased were men, while 46% were women.

A total of 2 738 of the deaths were patients between the ages of 40 and 89. Of these, 1 879 were older than 60, while 1 197 were younger.

A further breakdown of the deaths by age groups showed that 768 (24.7%) of the deceased were between the ages of 60 and 69, the second most affected age group was the 70- to 79-year-old group in which 628 (20.2%) Covid-19-related deaths were recorded.

The province added 24 of the deceased were younger than nine years old, while seven were aged 10 to 19).

As of 20 August, 12 618 Covid-19-related deaths were recorded across the country.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.