COVID-19 second wave: India loses 420 doctors so far; Delhi, Bihar, UP report most deaths: IMA

As many as 420 doctors in India have lost their lives due to the COVID-19 second wave that started around March-April, 2021, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said on Saturday, May 22.

Releasing fresh figures on COVID-related fatalities among doctors, the pan-India voluntary organisation of modern medicine doctors stated the highest deaths have been reported from Delhi with 100 casualties, followed by Bihar (96), Uttar Pradesh (41), Gujarat (31), Andhra Pradesh (26), and Telangana (20).

According to the IMA COVID-19 registry, a total of 747 doctors had died due to COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. The maximum fatalities were reported from Tamil Nadu (91) followed by Maharashtra (81), West Bengal (71), Andhra Pradesh (70), Karnataka (68), and Uttar Pradesh (65).

Also Read: COVID-19 second wave: India loses 269 doctors so far; Bihar, UP, Delhi report most casualties

IMA President Dr. JA Jayalal had said earlier that the association maintains a registry-based only on the input of its various branches across the country.

"We do not want to release the name list as it is a sensitive matter," he said.

Asked as to how many of these doctors had been fully vaccinated, Dr. Jayalal said, "We are not confident about the vaccination status of all, but by the data we got, not (being) fully vaccinated is the main cause (of the deaths)."

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He further stated that, on average, at least 20 doctors are dying per day due to COVID-19. These include doctors working in government facilities, private hospitals, and medical colleges.

"The second wave of the pandemic is turning out to be extremely fatal for all and especially those who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19," Jayalal had said.