India on Thursday reported 6 148 Covid-19 deaths had been recorded in the last 24 hours in the country, the highest-ever single-day death toll from the virus across the world since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The Eastern Indian state of Bihar which revised its total Covid-related deaths on Wednesday to more than 9 400 from about 5 400 accounted for most of the fatalities reported.
It wasn’t clear during which time period these deaths had occurred in Bihar, but this is the first time that the state has carried out a data cleaning exercise.
- India Recording 3 Million COVID-19 Cases Daily -Experts Dismiss Official Figures
- UPDATE On Returnee From India Who Succumbed To Covid-19 In Kwekwe
- Returnee From India Succumbs To COVID-19
- JUST IN: Zimbabwean Returnees To Be Quarantined At Own Expense
- PICTURES: Zimbabwe Giving Cash, Groceries To Returnees
- All Returnees With 48 Hour Negative COVID-19 Certificates Will Be Released At Ports of Entry For Self-Quarantine
Said Pratyaya Amrit, the state’s top civil servant in the health department:
_These deaths had remained unaccounted earlier._
_The increase was due to deaths reported at private hospitals, under home isolation and of post-Covid complications._
Bihar revised its toll after the local High Court ordered an audit of casualties during the second wave of the coronavirus in April and May.
The court’s order followed allegations that the state government was hiding the scale of infections and deaths especially in the rural areas where test facilities are rare, where two-thirds of Indians live, and hospitals are few and far between.
India’s total Covid cases count stands at nearly 29.2 million with total fatalities at 359 676, according to data released by India’s health ministry.
A sudden spike in the number of new coronavirus infections in India was attributed to an ‘escape variant,’ B.1. 617, that spreads more rapidly.
More: Pindula News; iTV