Second highest deaths in 7 Indian states in 2020 due to Covid

A report released by the Registrar General of India on the Medical Certification of Cause of Death-2020 showed that 1,60,618 deaths happened due to Covid and the disease “accounted for 8.9%” of the country’s “medically certified deaths” in 2020, stated the Indian Express.

Covid was only behind “disease of the circulatory system” as the major cause of death in 2020.

Covid was the second “major killer” in seven states in 2020, namely Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Overall, Covid was the fourth “major killer” in India in 2020.

Interestingly, the number of deaths due to Covid according to RGI’s 2020 report is greater than the number of deaths according to the Union Health Ministry, with the difference being of over 11,000 deaths.

The Indian Express reported that RGI divided the deaths due to Covid under two categories: “disease diagnosis of COVID 19 confirmed by laboratory testing” (1,38,713 deaths fell in this category) and “a clinical or epidemiological diagnosis of COVID 19 where laboratory confirmation is inconclusive or not available” (21,905 deaths fell in this category).