Maharashtra: Covid-19 Death Toll Rises By 1,328 After Officials "Reconcile" Deaths Earlier Reported As Non-Covid

The Covid-19 death tally in Mumbai has risen by 862 in Mumbai and 466 in the rest of Maharashtra after the state government today (16 June) released "reconciled" figures of the overall death toll in the state.

As a result, the total Covid-19 related death tally in the state rose to 5,510, Free Press Journal has reported.

These "reconciled" death figures come amid a row over unreported Covid-19 which were accounted under comorbidity instead of the Coronavirus.

Various complaints were made in the last two months alleging that Covid-19 positive patients were attributed to a "natural death" in their death certificates.

The state government yesterday (16 June) had admitted discrepancies in the Covid-19 data wherein 1,382 Covid-19 deaths were reported under non-Covid-19 death category.

"A total of 1,382 additional deaths will be added to the COVID-19 death toll of the state. These were deaths of COVID patients and were marked as non-COVID", Maharashtra Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta was quoted as saying.

As per the Epidemic Act, 1897 any deceased patient needs to be reported under the Covid-19 casualty figures if he or she is found Coronavirus positive irrespective of the cause of death. The only exceptions allowed are accident, terminal illness, suicide, or poisoning.