Chandigarh administration admitted that there are more deaths than the said official toll that the government had been showing so far. As per the existing data maintained, there were 820 total deaths in the union territory due to Covid-19. For the last few months, an exercise was carried out by the health department to reconcile the figures of the deaths with the record maintained at the cremation grounds. Now the data that is coming afore shows that 1076 deaths occurred due to the virus.
During the process of reconciliation, it is observed that there was a discrepancy of 359 deaths. On further investigation from the records of the hospitals and details/documents collected from the family members of the deceased persons, it was observed that 256 deaths recorded at the cremation ground were deaths due to Covid-19. Whereas 22 deaths out of 359 are mentioned as Covid-19 related deaths as per the record at the cremation grounds, however, there are no documents available to establish whether the deceased were Covid-19 positive. Further, 81 deaths are mentioned as Covid-19 related fatalities as per the record at cremation ground that either relates to residents of other states, or their addresses are incorrect or could not be traced, said IAS Yashpal Garg, Health Secretary of the union territory.
The reconciled figure depicts 820+256, which is 1076. While talking to The Daily Guardian Garg exhorts that 103 mismatch data is due to other states/untraceable/wrong addresses. Adding further Garg said that Death occurring within 30 days from the date of testing or from the date of being clinically determined as COVID-19 case is treated as ‘death due to COVID-19’, even if death takes place outside the hospital/in-patient facility. However, a COVID-19 case, while admitted in the hospital/in-patient facility, and who continued as the same admission beyond 30 days, and died subsequently will also be treated as COVID-19 death. Deaths occurring due to poisoning, suicide, homicide, and accident are not considered as COVID-19 deaths even if COVID-19 is an accompanying condition.
Now it has been decided that the detail of these 256 deaths due to COVID-19 is also being shared with the State Disaster Management Authority to consider the total of 1076 (820+256) cases for release of ex-gratia of Rs. 50,000 to the next kin of the deceased as per the guidelines of the Government of India, and orders of the Supreme Court.
“Efforts are being made to further reconcile the 103 deaths (22+81) by getting requisite documents and connecting with the respective families. The available details are being shared with the concerned state governments also,” Garg said.
