INDORE: The high death rate among Covid-19 patients in Indore is causing alarm – at 10%, it’s over three times the national average and has been rocketing for most of the past week.Indore, the commercial capital of central India, has also turned out to be MP’s corona hotspot. It has recorded 23 deaths, twice that of the state of Telangana , and accounts for 11% of the national toll and 72% of MP’s body count. Seven deaths happened in the last two days.Most of the Covid-19 deaths in Indore happened within a day or two of admission – the test results coming later – indicating that the patients didn’t notice the signs or delayed seeking medical help. Also all of them had hypertension or diabetes, or both, which made it worse.Dr Salil Bhargava, superintendent of MRTB Hospital, said, “Initially, those admitted here came very late -- after their lungs had got damaged. The damage to lungs is irreversible. It is very necessary to report early.”The other factor seen in Indore is “extensive bilateral pneumonia (infection of both lungs)”, said Bhargava. About 26% of the dead had pneumonia. Many people mistake mild symptoms of pneumonia for general cough and cold but when Covid-19 is added to the equation, things go downhill rapidly. Also, the majority of patients in Indore are elderly. Analysis of the dead patients’ records shows that except for a 30-year-old, all those who died were above 40 years of age. Around half of them were above 50 years old.Asked about the high death toll, Bhargava said, “Indore has the maximum number of cases, so death toll appears to be higher as well.” He urged people to seek medical attention as soon as they notice symptoms. “Any delay could your life at risk,” he cautioned.MGM Medical College dean Dr Jyoti Bindal said, “We have analysed the deaths of patients and found that acute respiratory distress syndrome, low oxygen level, delay in seeking medical advice, co-morbidities and multi-organ failure and shock were factors.”11 Covid patients have recovered in IndoreMost of the coronavirus cases detected across Indore did not seem to have any primary or secondary contact.It was only later that detective work by health officials found that they had come in contact with those who had been tested positive at the beginning of the outbreak.“We are not going by numbers,” said Indore divisional commissioner Akash Tripathi said. “We had estimated that the numbers will rise. Our focus is to enhance testing and trace as many positive cases as possible to ensure their contact tracing and containment,” he added. Indore district collector Manish Singh believes the number will continue to rise for 5-7 days. “The soaring number is a result of the spread that occurred during the initial period,” he said.The only silver line for Indore — a city that drew widespread criticism after hundreds of residents across the city turned Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s Janata curfew call of March 22 into a public celebration — is that 11 Covid-19 patients, including a doctor and a nurse, have survived the disease and are now in the comfort of their homes.