A total of 136 COVID-19 deaths were reported in Mysuru between May 1 and 19 this year, as per the Mysuru district COVID-19 war room. But, if you go by the COVID-19 funeral team, constituted by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), more than 650 persons were laid to rest in accordance with the government protocol in this period.
The report from COVID-19 war room showed that deaths in Mysuru city since the beginning of pandemic increased from 967 on April 30 this year to 1,103 on May 19, which translates to 136 deaths during May.
An official in Birth and Death Records Department of MCC, who is overseeing COVID-19 funerals in the city, said the number of deaths had shot up sharply in May. Estimating that an average of 30 deaths had taken place every day, the official said anywhere between 400 to 440 people had died due to COVID-19 in the city in the first 15 days of May. He, however, said he did not have the “exact figures”.
But, Ayub Ahmedji, a social worker handling unclaimed bodies for several years in Mysuru, who is now working with the funeral team constituted by MCC, told The Hindu that they had performed last rites of 666 bodies since May 1. “I have maintained a record of each body handled by the team. While April saw 321 deaths, May has seen a total of 666 till May 19,” he said.
Endorsing the estimate of the official from the Birth and Death Records that an average of 30 deaths were taking place every day, Mr. Ayub said the highest number of deaths recorded by them was on May 9 when 48 people had died. The lowest number during the month was recorded on May 1 with 23 deaths, he said.
Meanwhile, MCC Commissioner Shilpa Nag said the official records documented the COVID-19 deaths taking place in hospitals till the 10th day after testing positive. In addition, the civic body’s funeral team is also handling the deaths of COVID-19 patients in home isolation, many of whom may not have subjected themselves to a test and hence, slipped out of the records.
Another reason for the higher numbers could be arrival of bodies from other parts of the district. Bodies have even come from Bengaluru. “Though we prefer to keep it for the city’s population so that we can handle death management better, we are not sending anyone back,” she said.
