In Mandi, Covid deaths rose 100 times in two months

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 15

As many as 215 deaths due to Covid-19 were reported in Mandi district in April and May this year while only two deaths due to the virus were recorded during the corresponding period last year.

According to the district health authorities, last year, no death due to Covid was reported in April in the district but two deaths were recorded in May. This year, 54 Covid deaths were reported in April, and 161 in May. As many as 378 persons have died of Covid in the district since March last year while 26,684 persons have contracted the virus.

In April 2021, a total of 432 deaths were registered in the district, including 54 due to Covid. In May, 615 deaths were registered, including 161 due to Covid. The maximum number of fatalities occurred in May this year since the outbreak of the disease.

In April 2020, a total of 286 deaths were reported in Mandi but there was no death due to Covid. However, in May, two of the total 390 deaths were because of Covid. Mandi is one of the worst-affected districts by the second wave of the pandemic. Sources said that many deaths in far-flung rural areas had not been registered. The true data of deaths was likely to emerge after a few months when people would seek death certificates.

The data of the Health Department accessed by The Tribune revealed that a majority of Covid deaths were reported at the dedicated hospital at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College at Nerchowk.

According to Dr Panna Lal Verma, Medical Superintendent of the Nerchowk hospital, one person died of Covid at this medical college in May last year, while 36 and 201 deaths due to the virus were reported in April and May, respectively, this year. Most of the deceased belonged to the district, while a few of them were from neighbouring districts of Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Bilaspur and Hamirpur. There has been a considerable decline in the number of cases in the past few days.