Covid toll jumps by 73% in Bihar as state recounts its dead

Bihar on Wednesday revised its Covid-19 toll upwards by a whopping 72.84% after verification of deaths across each of its 38 districts, as directed by the Patna High Court on May 18.

After the verification exercise that lasted 20 days, the state government on Wednesday said the death count had gone up by 3,951. The state’s Covid-19 cumulative death toll jumped to 9,375 on June 8, as against 5,424 reported a day earlier.

The massive increase reflects deaths reported at private hospitals, in transit to health facilities, under home isolation and those dying of post-Covid complications after they tested negative and were discharged from hospitals, additional secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“These deaths had remained unaccounted earlier,” he said.

The government had constituted committees at the district level, comprising the civil surgeon, additional chief medical officer and a senior medical officer nominated by the civil surgeon for verification of deaths. Similarly, it had tasked the principal, the superintendent and the head, department of medicine, at the medical college hospital level to scrutinise all such deaths at their respective institutions.

Any Covid-19 death had to be uploaded on the national portal within three days, after which access was denied at the level of private hospitals and medical colleges.

At least four districts showed a variation of over 222% in the total death toll as on June 7 and the figure reported the next

day, post-verification.

Kaimur, which reported total 44 deaths as on June 7, revised the toll to 146 the next day, up by 231.81%, followed by Saharsa, where the toll went up from 40 to 130 — up by 225%. The death toll at Begusarai jumped 228.98% — from 138 deaths till June 7 to 454 the next day, followed by East Champaran, where the toll surged by 222.13% — from 131 to 422.

Purnia recorded 144.28% rise, Lakhisarai 134.88%, Muzaffarpur 106.80%, Madhubani 105.19% and Gopalganj 100%.

State capital Patna reported an overall increase of 87.48%, up from 1,223 on June 7 to 2,293 as reported on June 8.

“We verified Covid deaths from different sources, including private hospitals, crematoriums and the Patna Municipal Corporation for those dying under home isolation, etc.” said Chandrashekhar Singh, Patna’s district magistrate.

Munger was Bihar’s only district with no increase, as its total death toll was static at 153 pre and post-verification on June 7 and 8, respectively.

Amrit said the government would take stern disciplinary action against officials for laxity in reporting Covid deaths.

“We want to be absolutely transparent about Covid-19 deaths so that the bereaved family gets government relief,” he added.

Bihar gives ₹4 lakh compensation to the next of kin of the deceased in case of Covid-19 death. It had released ex gratia funds for 3,737 Covid-19 victims so far.

Asked how many affected families had so far received the compensation amount, Amrit said, “We will check and revert.”

On May 17, the Patna High Court had flagged inconsistency in death figures related to Buxar, as mentioned in separate affidavits filed by the state’s chief secretary and the Patna divisional commissioner. It had asked the government to verify facts from all sources before placing it in the court. “Else, it will amount to filing false or incomplete affidavit,” the bench of chief justice Sanjay Karol and justice Sanjay Kumar had said.

The HC had also asked the government to clarify if the reported deaths were of people suffering from Covid-19, besides ascertaining the age group of the deceased.

The state health department, on the basis of the HC directive, had sent detailed instructions to district magistrates, civil surgeons, and heads of medical colleges and hospitals to verify from all sources the deaths having taken place at their respective institutions or at the district level.