New Delhi
To tackle reports of the huge discrepancy in India’s Covid-19 death toll, the Centre has submitted an 183-page affidavit to the Supreme Court, promising it will ensure all Covid-19 deaths are certified and take action against doctors who fail to comply with this rule.
Reports have emerged from 6 states showing huge inconsistencies in the fatality figures seen at morgues and crematoriums versus the deaths registered. Till now, the Centre only accounted for the deaths of Covid-19 patients in hospitals. Those who died at home or even at the hospital parking lot before testing were not certified as Covid deaths.
“All deaths with a diagnosis of Covid-19, irrespective of co-morbidities, are to be classified as deaths due to Covid-19. The only exception could be where there is a clear alternative cause of death, that cannot be attributed to Covid-19 (eg accidental trauma, poisoning, acute myocardial infarction, etc), where Covid-19 is an incidental finding,” the affidavit filed by the MHA office stated.
The biggest inconsistency was seen in Bihar, where some 75,000 people died of unexplained circumstances, with symptoms like that Covid. Other states including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Delhi have also shown discrepancies in their death figures, amounting to 4.8 lakh excess deaths in the 5 states.
In response to 2 PILs seeking “minimum standards of relief” and a Rs4 lakh ex gratia to the kin of all Covid-19 deceased, the Centre told the Supreme Court taking such a step would mean exhausting all disaster relief funds and would be “unfair” to cash-strapped states.
The PILs sought the ex gratia as prescribed under the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA) invoked by the Centre last year on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, stating the Centre must implement the reliefs prescribed under the NDMA.
“Utilisation of scarce resources for giving ex gratia may have unfortunate consequences of affecting the pandemic response and health expenditure in other aspects and hence cause more damage than good,” the Centre told the apex court.
Corona wave depends on virus mutation, human error: AIIMS doctor
New Delhi: With overall Covid-19 cases in India declining consistently over the past few weeks, several states have started easing Covid restrictions, and crowds have started swelling in the markets, where people could be seen not wearing masks and flouting Covid appropriate behaviour that could lead to an increase in cases again.
“In any pandemic, the wave depends on two important factors: One is virus related and second is human-related factors,” said Dr Neeraj Nischal, assistant professor department of Medicine AIIMS, New Delhi.
According to Dr Nischal, virus mutation is not in someone’s hand but appropriate behaviour can avoid a surge in Covid cases.
“Now virus mutates and becomes more infectious. It is something which is beyond our control. But of course, if we do not allow this virus to replicate in our body then maybe this type of mutations can be avoided. What we can do to control is our behaviour. We have been talking about Covid appropriate behaviour for 15-16 months and we know that by Covid appropriate behaviour, one can stop these waves altogether. That had happened in the second wave also,” he said.
India records 58,419 cases
New Delhi: India recorded less than 60,000 new coronavirus infections after 81 days taking the total tally of cases to 2,98,81,965, while the active cases further reduced to 7,29,243, as per the Union Health Ministry data on Sunday. A total of 58,419 fresh infections were reported in a day. The death toll climbed to 3,86,713 with 1,576 fresh fatalities, the lowest in 63 days. The active cases declined to 7,29,243 comprising 2.44% of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate improved to 96.27%, the data showed.
Virus Tidbits
-- Haryana extends lockdown till June 28, announces more eases
-- Curfew to be reimposed in UP district if cases cross 500
-- Odia playback singer Tapu Mishra dies in Bhubaneswar.
-- Weekend Covid curfew lifted from 8 districts in J&K
