According to daily bulletins put out by the office of the Rajkot chief district health officer (CDHO), there have been 308 deaths in dedicated Covid hospitals in Rajkot district since June, when the district reported its first death, while the state bulletin reflects only 89 deaths. (File)

Rajkot has been reporting a steady rise in Covid-19 cases even as Gujarat Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi attributed the huge disparity in the official number of deaths due to Covid-19 and total number of patients who died in Covid hospitals in the city, to non-Covid deaths at designated Covid hospitals.

The Gujarat government has moved in a team of 15 doctors from other cities to Rajkot after the district reported nearly 100 cases per day in the past week.

Ravi who was in Rajkot on Monday, said, “Everyone whose last rites are performed as per Covid protocol may not have died due to Covid-19. There could be suspected cases but they may not be confirmed cases of Covid-19.”

She was responding to a question from journalists over disparity in the official figures of deaths due to Covid-19 and number of persons being cremated or buried as per Covid-19 protocol in the city.

According to daily bulletins put out by the office of the Rajkot chief district health officer (CDHO), there have been 308 deaths in dedicated Covid hospitals in Rajkot district since June, when the district reported its first death, while the state bulletin reflects only 89 deaths.

According to the data, 65 people died in Covid hospitals in Rajkot district, including the municipal corporation area.

In August, 234 patients died in Covid-19 hospitals in Rajkot district. The state bulletin till Sunday showed only 89 deaths as due to Covid-19 in the district.

On Sunday, the Rajkot CDHO bulletin showed eight deaths at Covid hospitals, while the state bulletin showed no deaths from the district for the day.

Monday’s state bulletin showed three deaths for Rajkot district of which one was of the RMC limit, while the CDHO bulletin showed four deaths for Rajkot district of which RMC reported three.

Phone calls to local health officers and Rajkot district collector to seek comment on this disparity in figures of deaths did not elicit any response on Monday.

However, Ravi said: “The government is concerned and taking steps… Despite no treatment available for this novel disease, Gujarat has done well in containing it. Every life matters and the government is doing its best.”

She added that Gujarat was the first state to make Tocilizumab injections available free of cost to critical patients in government hospitals. “The government’s efforts are directed to prevent any loss of life due to Covid-19,” she said.

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation area and Rajkot rural have witnessed a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases since July. As of Monday, the total number of cases stood at 3,061 and 1,527 respectively. These figures were 1,173 and 659 respectively on July 31.