48% of Covid deaths reported from 25 dists in 8 states: Govt

NEW DELHI: Even as the total death toll due to Covid-19 mounted to 1,03,569, around 48% of deaths in the country are concentrated in 25 districts in eight states with Maharashtra alone accounting for 15 of these districts, health ministry said underlining the need to have area specific strategies to reduce the overall case fatality rate.


On Monday, 884 people succumbed to the disease, of these over 29% were in Maharashtra. Ten states - Maharashtra, Karnataka, UP, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh - account for nearly 80% of the deaths.

Maharashtra has recorded 38,347 deaths, considerably more than Tamil Nadu, which is next with 9,917. The two are followed by Karnataka (9,370) and UP (6,153). "We have focused our efforts on the specific districts where most deaths are concentrated and have also asked these states where these districts are located to formulate specific strategies and undertake measures to reduce deaths. Our aim is to bring down case fatality rate below 1%," health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

Apart from the 15 districts in Maharashtra, there are two districts each in Karnataka, West Bengal and Gujarat and one each in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, UP and Andhra Pradesh. Bhushan said India has recorded the highest number of recoveries from Covid-19 at over 56 lakh. While India's case fatality ratio has been falling, some states and cities continue to be a cause for worry.

About claims made under the Rs 50 lakh insurance scheme for frontline healthcare workers, Bhushan said payments have been made in 95 cases and 176 claims are under process.