All Covid deaths can’t be included in toll: Kerala minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health minister K K Shailaja has said the death of all Covid-19-positive people cannot be labelled as Covid death. The death of people who are living with comorbidity and tested positive cannot be included in the Covid death toll.
Shailaja refuted the allegation that government is suppressing data on death. The death is confirmed as per international protocol and a death is counted as Covid-19 death only if SARS-CoV-2 virus worsens the health of a person leading to his/her death.
The minister came out with this clarification as the health department has been facing severe criticism over non-inclusion of deaths of several people who have been tested positive in government’s Covid death list.
“The Covid deaths are determined based on the ‘international guidelines for certification and classification of Covid-19 as cause of death’ approved by the WHO. Based on this, the Covid virus should be the primary cause for the death. The multiple failure of organs due to Covid are also being considered as Covid death,’’ the health minister said.
An expert team in each district is analysing each Covid death and is submitting report to the government. There are cases in which the deaths have been caused due to the existing diseases and the patient was also tested positive for Covid-19. Such deaths are not being included on the Covid-19 death toll.
When a death is reported in a hospital, immediately the samples of this patient are sent for testing in the labs available in the district. If a patient is brought dead, then also the same procedure is followed, she said.
When the body is released to the relatives it is made it clear whether the patient is positive or not, she said. Even if the test results are positive, the samples are again sent to the NIV lab at Alappuzha — this is ICMR recommendation.
The medical report from the hospital and the report from the NIV, Alappuzha, are scrutinized by medical board and are determined whether it is a Covid death or not, the health minister said.
The reason for the delay in announcing the Covid death details is due to the wait for the results from the NIV, Alappuzha.