Delhi might have seen a sudden rise in Covid-19 cases after the Nizamuddin Markaz event but has done a tremendous job compared to its peers in controlling the number of deaths due to the virus.
News18.com did an analysis of 34 of the major Covid-19 hotspot cities (in some cases provinces) of the world and Delhi’s mortality rate of 2.10 per cent placed it at number 4 only after Singapore (0.10), Moscow (0.88) and Berlin (2.05).
Berlin’s low mortality rate is a function of testing a large number of people, isolation and physical-distancing. Germany’s handling of the pandemic has been hailed, mainly because of the low mortality rate in comparison to other European nations. Also, only about one-fifth (20%) of Germany’s cases are in the 60+ age group.
Singapore’s model of containment was also applauded all over the world – they adopted aggressive testing, meticulous contact tracing and a very stringent isolation – although cases have doubled in the last few days, suggesting that even flattening the curve may not be enough on the path to normalcy.
Brussels has reported 1,014 deaths out of a total of 4,438 cases – their mortality rate of 22.85 per cent is the worst amongst the 34 cities. Belgium is peculiar in its counting of deaths – not only do they count the actual number linked to the virus but also any suspected cases, whether the person was tested or not.
Bergamo is the worst-hit city in Italy with 2,200 deaths and 10,946 cases. Located to the northeast of Milan, in the Lombardy region, it is directly connected to the European capitals by the Orio al Serio Airport making it a tourism hub – this was one of the major reasons for the devastation caused in the city.
Delay in testing and a late lockdown coupled with a high percentage of smoking amongst men (16.5% men smoke in the UK) are some of the major reasons why London has a high mortality rate of 18.89 per cent.
New York and New Jersey together account for 2,41,743 cases in USA – a little more than 27 per cent of the total cases in the United States. New York has also registered a fifth of the total deaths in America.
Istanbul is a big surprise at number 3. With 61074 cases, it accounts for 60 per cent of Turkey’s total number of cases. The country is the biggest hotspot in the Middle-East.
While New York has recorded 10,290 deaths, Madrid with 7,684 has accounted for a little over one-third (34.1 per cent) of the total number of deceased in Spain.
Six of the 10 worst cities in this analysis in terms of total deaths lie between 40 degree North and 42 degree North Latitudes – New York (40.71), Madrid (40.42), New Jersey (40.06), Chicago (41.88), Istanbul (41) and Wayne County (42) – something that scientists are now studying to understanding how the virus spreads and whether conditions like humidity affects it.
Talking about Indian cities, while Pune and Indore have a relatively high mortality rate, the absolute number of deaths in big Indian cities is much lower in comparison with some of the major world cities.
In fact, Delhi, Pune and Indore are amongst the bottom 5 in terms of total deceased amongst the 34 cities analyzed.
The financial capital though remains a big worry for India – Mumbai has reported 178 deaths which is 23.27% of the total number of deaths in the country. The mortality rate is 4 per cent as the total cases are over 4,400.
Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid-19 virus in the world, accounted for almost 84 per cent of the total deaths in China. It also shows how effective the Chinese lockdown was in containing the spread of the virus to other cities in the country.
Guayaquil, the main port and largest city of Ecuador, reported 70 per cent of the total cases in the country – the highest such percentage in the analysis. The first Covid-19 patient of Ecuador was a 71-year-old woman who returned from Madrid to Guayaquil.
Many people from Ecuador – students and migrant workers – live in Italy and Spain and returned to the country in March in the spring break which led to a surge in cases.
Daegu in South Korea where the infamous Patient Number 31 became a Super-Spreader accounts for 64.04 per cent of South Korea’s cases.
Mumbai, with more than 4400 cases, constitutes 18.01% of the total number of cases in India and is in the top 10 cities on this count.
SOME OTHER INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS:
- Rio de Janeiro accounts for 15.75% of the total deaths in Brazil. It also has a high mortality rate of 8.59 per cent.
- Manaus, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas (surrounded by the Amazon rainforests) was devasted by Covid-19 deaths. It has reported a mortality rate of 8.10%.
- Heinsberg is referred to as Germany’s Wuhan with 1,695 cases and 58 deaths.
- Chicago has the highest mortality rate in USA – 10.02% - higher than New York City.
- The Canton of Ticino is an Italian speaking region in southern Switzerland which reported the country’s first Covid-19 case. It has the highest mortality rate of 9.11% in Switzerland.
- Pune’s mortality rate of 6.4% is higher than Tehran, Los Angeles and New Jersey amongst others.
- New York, New Jersey, Madrid, Istanbul and Wuhan are the five worst affected cities if we take a combination of number of cases and deaths.
Note: These are the 34 cities considered for ANALYSIS:
Singapore, Guayaquil, Manilla, Daegu, Wuhan, Istanbul, Moscow, Tokyo, Madrid, Blida, Mumbai, Vaud, London, New York, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, New Jersey, Ticino, Delhi, Brussels, Toronto, Ahmedabad, Tehran, Bergamo, Manaus, Pune, Indore, Berlin, Los Angeles, Wayne County, Chicago, Heinsberg
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