Covid-19 update: India's Covid-19 cases continued the declining trend with the country logging 3,614 fresh Covid-19 cases on Saturday, taking the Covid-19 tally to 4,29,87,875, as per the Union Health Ministry updated data. Additionally, India on Saturday recorded a massive decline in Covid-19 deaths logging 89 fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 5,15,803, as per Health Ministry data.
The country recorded 5,185 recoveries in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries up to 4,24,31,513, just as the number of Covid-19 deaths dropped below 100. India's active case stood at 40,559 (0.09%) and the daily positivity rate at 0.44%. The cumulative vaccination administered in the country stood at 1,79,91,57,486, the Health Ministry data further revealed.
Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday termed as "speculative and misinformed" a new study which claimed that India's estimated cumulative excess Covid deaths between January 2020 and December 2021 was around eight times higher than reported.
The Lancet reported on Thursday that although excess mortality rates due to Covid among Indian states are not the highest in the world, because of India's large population, the country accounted for around 22.3 per cent of global excess deaths as of December 31, 2021.
The documented deaths due to COVID-19 in India over that period was around 489,000, the Lancet said in its paper entitled 'Estimating excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic analysis of COVID-19-related mortality, 2020-21'.
It said India's estimated cumulative excess deaths due to COVID-19 between the period were the highest in the world at 4.07 million. The Union Health Ministry reacted strongly to the study and termed it "speculative and misinformed".
In a statement, the ministry said the study provided estimates of all cause excess mortality for a number of countries based on a mathematical modelling exercise. The study has concluded that although reported COVID-19 deaths between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, totaled 5.94 million worldwide, but an estimated 18.2 million people died worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic (as measured by excess mortality) over that period, it said.
(With inputs from agencies)
