57 deaths audited, 18 persons died due to COVID-19, says Bengal govt

The expert committee from the state has audited 57 deaths in connection with COVID-19, and 18 deaths were found to have taken place due to COVID-19 while 39 died due to various co-morbidities.

Sinha said that he was announcing the figures as people have been questioning the need for an audit committee for declaring the number of COVID-19 deaths. He said that the expert committee has mentioned COVID-19 as an “incidental finding” and not an “immediate cause” for those 39 deaths which happened due to co-morbidities.

He added that the state government had formed the committee as it wanted to have an understanding of the actual reasons behind the death of persons who were found to have COVID-19. The committee which was formed on April 3 has also examined those deaths which took place before that date.

He read out an instruction from the Union Health Secretary which said that audit of deaths of people with COVID-19 was not only necessary but should be “institutionalised” as well.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Bengal at present is 385 with 51 new cases in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the state currently stands at 18, with three deaths in the last 24 hours. So far, 103 people have been cured and discharged.