Kerala Reported More Than 55,000 COVID-19 Deaths Since July 2021, The Highest In India

As of July 28, the official death toll from COVID-19 in Kerala is 70,424, the second highest in India after Maharashtra.

But unlike in most states, the cumulative deaths shot up in the second half of 2021, when Kerala started adding the backlog of unreported fatalities as per Supreme Court order.

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How backlog shot up COVID-19 deaths

Kerala recorded 55,521 COVID deaths between July 2021 and July 2022, according to the figures presented in parliament.

As per figures presented in Lok Sabha on July 22, Kerala recorded 22,843 COVID deaths in 2022 as of July 19, which is also the highest in India.

It should be noted that as of July 14, 2021, Kerala had recorded 11,721 deaths. But the number of fatalities rose to 67,242 on July 19, 2022, after the government added the ¡®backlog¡¯ deaths, following a Supreme Court order in October for the distribution of ex-gratia for the kin of those who died from COVID-19.

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What the SC said

The top court, hearing petitions to provide ex-gratia to families of those who died because of COVID-19, had directed the Union government in October 2021 to provide simplified guidelines.

Under the new guidelines issued by the Centre, people who die within 30 days of testing positive for COVID-19 are eligible for compensation.

However, many health experts pointed out that listing every death within 30 days of infection as COVID-19 is not scientific.

No data on doctors' death

In a related development, the Union Health Ministry told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that they have no data on the number of doctors who have died during COVID-19.

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In a written reply, Minister of State of Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar said "disaggregated data on deaths due to Covid-19 by profession or otherwise is not maintained centrally."

She also said that under ¡®Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP),¡¯ an Insurance scheme for health care workers fighting Covid-19', the government of India has provided comprehensive insurance of Rs. 50 lakhs to health care providers, including community health workers and private health workers who may have been in direct contact and care of Covid-19 patients and may be at risk of being impacted by this or due to accidental death on account of Covid-19-related duty.

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IMA says more than 1600 doctors died

But according to the data collected by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), more than 1,600 doctors have died in India due to COVID-19, out of which 1,555 were in the first and second waves.

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