In an opinion piece titled “India’s Covid Catastrophe”, published in The Guardian, writer and political activist Arundhati Roy wrote, “We are witnessing a crime against humanity.” “Fatalities have been overlooked or downplayed, understating the human toll of the country’s outbreak,” the article said. The report says there has been “a complete massacre of data”, noting how crematorium officials have cited “sickness” instead of Covid as the cause of some coronavirus deaths, and also flagging alleged undercounting by the government. Live: Israel military asks 1.“As Covid-19 Devastates India, Deaths Go Undercounted” reads the headline of a report published by The New York Times last week.Bengaluru woman cancels cab ride, flooded with obscene photos & videos.Live: PM Modi slams Congress over caste reservation demand.Strong tremors felt in Delhi-NCR, parts of north India after 6.2 earthquake jolts Nepal.Photos: Panic in Delhi-NCR as earthquake tremors felt. 9 more bodies of Sikkim flood victims wash ashore, toll 82.Yogi: Like Ram Janmabhoomi, Sindhu can be taken back too.Armed forces sealed Rs 23.5k cr deals in last 1yr amid LAC row.EC to announce poll schedule of 5 states today.Making all efforts to evacuate students from Israel, says govt.2016 Pathankot attack handler shot dead in Pakistan mosque.Live: At least 4 killed as train derails in Bihar 'rescue op under way on war footing'.A high number of sick patients, both Covid and non-Covid, come to this district from all over the country for treatment,” he said, adding this added to the mortality rate of GB Nagar. “Hospitals here are providing tertiary-level healthcare, including kidney and liver transplant services. According to him, a number of high mortality cases, both Covid and non-Covid, also come to the district because of its quality medical care. Or patients who are HRCT-positive but RT-PCR negative – in case of demise of such patients, their number is not captured on the portal but adds to the high number of cremations,” Yathiraj added. “They may die of non-Covid reasons but may still be cremated with full protocols. He cited the example of patients who recover from Covid but continue to suffer from comorbid conditions. This also increases the number of cremations being undertaken under Covid protocols,” said the DM. “While government guidelines don't allow testing of patients after death, in suspect cases, a strict protocol of sanitisation is followed and the body is cremated as Covid-19 suspect. According to Yathiraj, a reason for the high number of cremations with Covid protocols could be the policy of the administration to treat all suspect deaths as Covid related. Asked about the numbers, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate, Suhas L Yathiraj said the number of cremations don’t equal Covid deaths. In Jewar’s three crematoriums, information on the 33 funerals IN April and May were submitted to the district administration, said Dinesh Shukla, executive officer of the Jewar Nagar Panchayat. Vinod Prajapati, who carries out most of the cremations, told TOI 50 of the deceased were treated as Covid-positive, based on information from the next of kin. At Dadri’s Muktidham, 126 cremations were conducted from April to June, according to Shamir Kashyap, executive officer, Dadri Nagar Palika. “When as many as 60-70 bodies were being cremated every day and furnaces started becoming dysfunctional due to overuse, four other cremation grounds started taking some of the load off Antim Niwas, which then became a ground for only Covid-positive deceased,” said an Antim Niwas official. These grounds saw 508 cremations over April and May. On April 24, as Antim Niwas started running out of space, the Noida Authority issued an order that non-Covid cremations would be done at four other cremation grounds in sectors 14, 49, 135 and 52. At Shafipur, Sachin Sharma, in-charge of the Mokshdham crematorium, said information on whether it’s a Covid death or not was garnered from family members of the deceased. Here, the official tally till June 5 for cremations following Covid protocols is 1,756. This crematorium started functioning from late April when Antim Niwas became overburdened. We send the data to the office of the chief medical officer every day.” In Greater Noida’s Shafipur, a total of 2,119 cremations took place, nearly the same number as Antim Niwas. Covid cremations are conducted in the CNG furnace, but at times, if the kin of the deceased insist, the cremation is carried out using wood.
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