Mumbai Raises Virus Death Tally by 38%, Citing Data Filing Delays
Mumbai revised its official death toll from the coronavirus, adding 862 fatalities in India’s epicenter of the outbreak.
(Bloomberg) -- Mumbai revised its official death toll from the coronavirus, adding 862 fatalities in India’s epicenter of the outbreak.
In a statement late Tuesday, the local government cited discrepancies in records filed from various counting centers, which mushroomed as the pandemic spread. All of these cases correctly recorded Covid-19 as the cause of death but weren’t integrated into the master database, it said.
“Covid-19 patient information is filled on the portal from hospitals in various districts. The state government always rechecks these and adjusted information is made public on the web portal,” the government said. “Therefore, even if there is an increase in the figures, there should be no reason to doubt the intentions of the government.”
| Impact of the revision: |
|---|
|
Including new fatalities, the city’s death toll stood at 3,167 as on Tuesday and state tally at 5,537, latest official data show.
Maharashtra is governed by an alliance comprising rivals of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party accused the state government of hiding facts. Rejecting the charges, Maharashtra’s administration said it is following guidelines specified by the World Health Organization and local authorities.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.