West Bengal has the highest mortality rate of COVID-19 patients: IMCT

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 4

The accusation of playing down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state – hurled at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by various opposition parties ranging from the right-wing BJP to the left-wing CPI(M) – was, today, echoed by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team, sent to West Bengal from Delhi by the MHA, as well.

Winding up their two-week visit to the state, IMCT team leader Apurva Chandra wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha expressing his concerns over various issues.

Pointing out the mismatches in figures related to the virus infection and resulting deaths mentioned in various communications of the state government, Chandra wrote that the state needed “to be transparent and consistent in reporting figures and not down play the spread of the virus”.

In an alarming observation, Chandra also mentioned in his letter that West Bengal had the highest mortality rate in the country with regard to positive COVID-19 patients.

Chandra, a senior IAS officer, wrote that as on April 30, the number of positive COVID-19 patients in the state was 816, of which 105 patients were reported dead. The IMCT team leader wrote that this put the figure of mortality rate in the state to 12.8 per cent which was “by far the highest in the country”.