Also Read Coronavirus | Spike in excess deaths during pandemicThe high multiple of excess deaths over the COVID-19 toll was a characteristic of both the first wave in 2020 and the more lethal second wave in 2021. The “excess deaths” figure for April to December 2020 of 64,520 was 9.4 times the COVID-19 toll (6,833) while the same for 2021 (55,207) was 14.1 times the COVID-19 toll (10,787). Excess deaths were calculated as the difference between the registered deaths in the pandemic period and the average number of deaths registered in 2018 and 2019 for the same months. Also, patients dying from post COVID complications were not counted in COVID deaths,” renowned public health expert Punyabrata Gun said on the excess COVID deaths in West Bengal. There has also been a situation where deaths due to comorbidity were not counted as COVID deaths.

Source: The Hindu July 25, 2021 15:40 UTC