Kolhan dists data differ from health dept figures

Jamshedpur: Even as the surge in Covid infections continues, data total and active cases, recoveries and casualties released by the three districts in Kolhan division do not match with the figures published by the state health department twice a day.
For instance, officials in East Singhbhum – the worst affected district in Jharkhand – said they have a total caseload of 1,106, of which 691 are active, 399 have recovered and 16 have succumbed to the new virus until July 22. However, the health department bulletin issued on Thursday morning said the district has 1,099 cases (698 active, 388 recoveries and 13 deaths).
Significantly, East Singhbhum has been the most inconsistent of all 24 districts when it comes to releasing figures on time. Every morning, the previous day’s new infection figures are revised, adding dozens of new cases.
For instance, the evening bulletin issued at 10pm on Wednesday said the district recorded 38 new cases, but the morning bulletin revised the figure to 109 cases, making it the first time the district recorded 100+ cases.
Some sources said the officials in the district, with its headquarters in Jamshedpur, are giving out low numbers in the evening in a bid to downplay the spike in Covid cases here. “If we keep getting revised figures, it becomes difficult to ascertain how bad the outbreak is. Like on Wednesday, the new cases figure was increased by 71 even though the state government bulletin was issued at 10pm. It is hard to believe so many people were diagnosed in the two hours between 10pm and midnight,” one observer said.
West Singhbhum district officials said they have 168 active cases, 115 recoveries and two casualties totaling 285 till July 22, but the health department data says it has 57 active cases, 89 recoveries and one death (147 total) as of July 22.
Trying to explain the anomaly in the figures, West Singhbhum DC Arava Rajakamal said, “Covid figures change every day and the state-level the bulletin numbers don’t match ours due to delayed entry of the figures.
Likewise, adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district has reported 71 active cases, 83 recoveries and two casualties (total 156) till July 22. But the state government said it has 57 active cases, 70 recoveries and two casualties (total 133). An official in the district health department in Seraikela-Kharswan said the difference in the numbers is confusing for them as well.
State health department secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni, said that delayed entry of the numbers is one of the issues that the department is looking into to address the issue of mismatch.