E-Paper
Deadly April and May dwarf Jharkhand’s official Covid-19 toll
As per the data accessed under the Right to Information Act from the state’s statistics department, which compiles registered births and deaths, there has been massive surge in the number of total registered deaths in at least 12 of the 24 districts in the state during April and May.
The total number of deaths registered in the months of April and May in 2021 in several districts of Jharkhand has witnessed a massive spike, as high as six times in some cases, compared to the corresponding period in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit the country, rasing questions over the actual coronavirus toll in the state.
As per the data accessed under the Right to Information Act from the state’s statistics department, which compiles registered births and deaths, there has been massive surge in the number of total registered deaths in at least 12 of the 24 districts in the state during April and May.
Three other districts, which could not provide data for May, also showed a sharp spike in registered deaths in the month of April. At least 14 districts, which provided month-wise data of registered deaths, recorded a spike even in the month of March 2021 as compared to the previous year. Three other districts could not provide month-wise figures of registered deaths while data from other six districts was awaited.
Of the 15 districts which provided month-wise figures of both the years, only Giridh district has witnessed a dip in the number of registered deaths during April and May in 2021 as compared to the corresponding period the previous year. However, registered death figures are still higher in the district for both the months than the official Covid-19 death count during the entire year.
In other districts which provided month-wise data, the registered deaths in the months of March, April and May in 2021 was at least twice or thrice the figure during the corresponding period in 2020. In some of the districts, the spike in registered deaths during the second wave months was manifold compared to the previous year.
Sample this: In Palamu, the total number of registered deaths in March this year is 415 as compared to 66 last year. In April, the district has 201 registered deaths in comparison to 25 last year. In the month of May, the registered deaths in the district soared to 794 this year as compared to 82 last year. The pattern in the district continued in June with 478 registered deaths this year as compared to 224 last year.
Major spike has been witnessed in other districts as well, including Jamsedhpur, Dhanbad, Chatra and Latehar. Even tribal-dominated districts such as Dumka and Khunti have seen a surge in the numbers. Latehar district also showed an increasing trend from March to June this year.
Though the cause of death in case of registered ones was yet to be provided, these numbers do raise questions about the Covid toll as provided by the health department.
As per the data released by the health department, 5,122 people have died due to Covid-19 in the state since the pandemic began. Of these, 3,878 died in April and May this year when the second wave was at its deadliest.
Statisticians, however, said while the numbers have witnessed an unusual increase, some other factors also need to be factored in while analysing the figures.
“The national lockdown had brought almost everything to standstill in April and May last year. That could be one reason for fewer registered deaths last year. It is important to compare the data of the later months as well because many people apply for death registration late. However, the actual reason for the spike could be ascertained only if the cause of death is established,” said Hriday Kumar, joint secretary in the planning and statistics department.
A health department official, while conceding that the number of deaths during the second wave has been higher, said the exact cause of death due to the pandemic could be established only through a “verbal autopsy”.
Anil Kumar Singh, civil surgeon of Palamu district, which has recorded worst surge in registered deaths, said a social audit was being done to ascertain the cause of deaths.
“The spike is unusually higher and Covid-19 could be one of the reasons. There has been a dip in the accident-related deaths almost everywhere largely due to the lockdown restrictions. We need to see if people also died due to other complications. A social audit is already underway to conduct verbal autopsy to establish the actual cause of deaths, especially due to Covid-19 as the government is planning for some monetary compensation. Things should get clearer once the survey is completed,” Singh said.
