MUMBAI: Close to 6,500 (6,489) Covid-19 deaths have been reported across Maharashtra in the first nine days of June, but almost 60% of these are from data reconciliation in which unrecorded deaths from previous months and weeks are added to the tally.
Dr Pradeep Awate, who heads the epidemiology cell of the state’s public health department, said a high number of fatalities from the past are surfacing now because death reporting isn’t quick in remote areas.
“Our death reconciliation data is a continuous process.
We have to, at times, wait for laboratory reports before adding a death to the Covid list.
At other times, there isn’t enough manpower to regularly update death charts in some districts,” he said.
For the third day in a row, Maharashtra reported under 11,000 cases on Wednesday.
Fatalities for the day were under 300, but the state is reporting more deaths from the past.
It added 10,989 cases and 261 deaths taking total cases to 58.6 lakh and the death toll to 1,01,833, but including 400 more casualties from the past.
While deaths in many states has dropped drastically, daily toll is relatively slow to decline.
“Our case fatality rate is 1.72% which is close to the national average.
So it cannot be said mortality is worse in Maharashtra than other states,” said a n official.
Meanwhile, after a daily toll of seven on Tuesday, Mumbai registered 27 deaths on Wednesday.
The city’s daily toll has been 20-30 since May 28.On Wednesday, the city had 788 fresh cases, taking the tally so far to 7.12 lakh.
The toll in Mumbai stands at 15,033.
Test positivity was below 3% for the third consecutive day.
Wednesday’s tally of 788 came from 29,082 tests.