4.7 million Covid deaths in India in 2020-21, says WHO; Centre terms validity of models, methodology of data collection ‘questionable’

A World Health Organisation report on Thursday said that almost half of the Covid-19 deaths that till now had not been counted were in India. The report suggested that 4.7 million people died in the country as a result of the pandemic, mostly during a surge in May and June 2021.

India however strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates linked to the Covid-19 infection in view of the availability of authentic data. According to the Centra the validity and robustness of the models used and methodology of data collection are questionable.  The government has put its death toll recorded between January 2020 and December 2021 at about 480,000.

Mumbai: Dharavi reports first Covid-19 case since March 17

Mumbai’s slum colony Dharavi reported a new coronavirus case on Wednesday, its first infection since March 17, a Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation (BMC) official told PTI.

The official said the slum-dominated area, once a coronavirus hotspot, has witnessed the first coronavirus infection since March 17.

With this, Dharavi’s overall tally of Covid-19 cases reached 8,653, while its death toll stood at 419, according to the BMC official.

Separate registration counters for suspected Covid patients at health facilities: NDMC

Amid a spike in cases of Covid-19 in Delhi, north corporation has taken a slew of measures to contain the spread of infection, including setting up separate registration counters for suspected coronavirus patients at its health facilities, PTI reported.

In a statement, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) also said it is “all set to provide one month’s advance medicines to patients suffering from chronic diseases”.

In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the city, the corporation has stepped up its preparedness to control the spread of the virus.