The last rites of Covid-19 victims being performed in Lucknow. (Express Photo: Vishal Srivastava)
In Bhopal, official Covid toll in April is 109, but over 2,500 at pyres, graves
In April, the official Covid death toll in Bhopal district was 109. Records accessed by The Indian Express from the three crematoriums and one kabristan designated for Covid deaths in the district show that besides the 109, 2,567 bodies were laid to rest under the Covid protocol from April 1-30.
Records show that the four facilities together also managed 1,273 other, non-Covid, deaths during this period. In contrast, records maintained by these facilities show they laid to rest an estimated 500 bodies in pre-Covid April 2019.
This matches the pattern playing out in parts of the country where the official death toll captures only a slice of the havoc caused by the pandemic — the Covid protocol is used for confirmed or suspected cases.
Dose shortage to go on till July, says Adar Poonawala
As India fights the second wave of Covid-19 and a crippling shortage of vaccines, Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive Adar Poonawalla has said the shortage of vaccine would continue through July.
According to a ‘Financial Times’ report, Poonawalla has said that production of vaccines is expected to increase in July from about 60 – 70 million doses a month to about 100million.
The shortage comes at a time when India has opened vaccination for all adults from May 1.