COVID-19 deaths spike to nearly 12,000 as states reconcile data

Over 2,000 new COVID-19 deaths were reported in the country as per the health ministry data released on Wednesday, 17 June, as Maharashtra and New Delhi reconciled their figures on deaths due to coronavirus, to match the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.

The huge spike in the number of deaths comes as states updated their respective figures. The health ministry has said that the data on the website is based on entry by the states, with Delhi and Maharashtra having reconciled their data from previous days.

According to the Centre’s data, there are now 1,55,227 active cases across the country, while 1,86,934 patients have been cured or discharged.

A large data reconciliation exercise was conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) spanning many days, on the orders of the state government to match its numbers with ICMR numbers.

ICMR guidelines state that death of any COVID-19 patient has to be officially listed as such, even if the cause of death was due to a cardiac arrest or any other underlying condition.

India’s case fatality rate (CFR) or the proportion of deaths to the total number of cases has reportedly gone up to 3.4% from 2.9% with the jump in the death toll.

According to reports, Maharashtra reported over 1,300 new deaths, 862 from Mumbai taking the death toll to 5,537. Similarly, Delhi’s death toll soared to 1,837 with the total case count nearing 45,000.

Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday, 16 June, addressed the chief ministers of states and heads of union territories on the COVID-19 situation and stressed on the importance of precautions against the virus and a self-reliant India.