COVID-19 mortality in relation to patient characteristics- a retrospective study from the central district of Kashmir valley of North India.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in China in 2019 and spread so rapidly that it almost collapsed the healthcare system throughout the world. The mortality was so high and the unavailability of the vaccine worsened the situation. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we tried to identify the group that is more vulnerable to the disease according to age, gender, presence of comorbidity, and vaccine status. For the same, the data from the patients who died due to COVID-19 infection was recorded and analyzed. Results: We found that the males, the older age group (61-80 years), with comorbidities and not-vaccinated individuals were more at risk of increased hospital stays, ventilatory support requirements, and eventually deaths. Conclusion: COVID was more fatal in elderly population with comorbidities. Vaccines protected from the disease and also lessened its severity.