Nagpur: The city registered nearly 6,202 excess Covid deaths which were besides the normal count in April.
Doctors and activists say the large number of excess deaths were either undetected Covid-19 fatalities or were indirectly due to the pandemic itself.
The overall deaths were 8,745 in April which was the highest-ever in a month so far in the city’s history.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has compiled a data of cremations performed at 23 ghats, 10 kabrasthans and two Christian cemeteries in the city in April.
Around 9,460 cremations were performed in the city in 30 days of April.
The city had witnessed the peak of the highly-contagious and virulent second wave of the pandemic in April.
Cases and deaths were highest-ever in April.
The district had registered 2,290 Covid-19 deaths in April of which 1,232 were residents of the city, 857 from rural parts of the district and 201 from other districts who tested positive and succumbed while undergoing treatment in hospitals in the city.
Around 60% (514) of the total deceased from rural parts of the district were cremated in the city.
Similarly, 201 deceased from other districts were also cremated here.
Thus, 8,745 cremated people were residents of the city.
1,311 cremations were done in the city in April last year which can be considered as routine number of deaths.
Full lockdown was imposed in the city in April last year and the same was the case this year too.
Thus, 2,543 were normal and Covid deaths.
Accordingly, 6,202 deaths were excess which is five times that of Covid and also five times than normal fatalities.
Thus, 7,434 deaths were directly or indirectly due to the pandemic in April.
Infectious diseases specialist Dr Nitin Shinde said, “The number of excess deaths might be more than that estimated by the NMC.
These deaths were directly or indirectly due to Covid-19.
Among these deceased, few were RT-PCR negative Covid patients who are not taken into account by the authorities.
Some might be post-Covid deaths who recovered and then died at home or during readmission.
Many might be those who did not get tested.
Some people died at home due to non access to medical care but might have had all symptoms of Covid-19.
Some patients died due to other diseases like cancer, heart attack etc at home due to non access to medical care or irregular check up at hospitals due to Covid scare.” Convener of Vidarbha Hospitals’ Association Dr Anup Marar said, “The number of excess deaths is a stark reality.
Excess deaths during April this year may point not only to the second surge victims but also to the others who lost their lives deu to non-Covid reasons.
Both months had lockdown restrictions but this year, the public was miserably lax in following Covid-appropriate behavior and non-Covid emergency patients also faced hardships in getting beds.
Lack of beds, either for needy Covid and non-Covid patients, insufficient drugs and negligence in Covid behavior compliance may be contemplated as causes for the alarming death statistics.” Dr Marar added, “It’s high time authorities planned a constructive methodology for the forthcoming third wave with enough facilitatory backup rather than only pointing fingers at others to hide their shortcomings.” With a firm belief that a survey is the need of the hour, activist Narayan Ahuja said, “All excess deaths were indirectly or directly due to the pandemic and were not counted in official numbers.
Traffic movement was shut and lockdown was prevailing in April so no chances of a rise in unnatural deaths.
In fact, unnatural deaths reduced.
Therefore, the NMC should survey all excess deaths, right from March 2020 to April 2021, and add them to the Covid toll.” Talking about the issue, an NMC official said, “The highest deaths were 4,096 in September last year of which a majority were due to the pandemic.
8,745 fatalities in April were the highest-ever in a month in the city’s history.” The number of excess deaths increased to 9,488 in the 13 months of the pandemic and more than double compared to the fatalities of Covid-19.