T logged 15% more deaths in ’21 amid Delta wave | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: Telangana registered a 15.4% increase in deaths in 2021, the year when the deadly Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus wreaked havoc across the country, compared to 2020.In the same year, the state also recorded six times excess deaths (15,090) due to Covid-19 against the official count of 2,486 deaths indicating a potentially higher degree of undercounting of deaths in the state. Recently released official data from the Civil Registration System (CRS) (2019–21), published by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, reveals that the state recorded 2,34,425 deaths in 2021, up from 2,03,127 in 2020, an increase of 31,298 deaths.At least 8.4 lakh individuals were reported to have contracted and recovered from Covid-19 in Telangana, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW). While the overall official tally of Covid-19 deaths for Telangana stood at just 4,111, over half of them (2,486 deaths) were recorded alone in 2021, as per the CRS data. Of the total 2.34 lakh deaths Telangana reported in 2021, 13.5 lakh were men and 9.8 lakh were women.Reported by CRSAmong the five major southern states, Telangana stood out for attributing the fewest deaths officially to Covid-19, with Kerala topping the list. Despite that, the state recorded the third highest ratio of excess deaths in 2021 to officially reported Covid-19 fatalities. For example, Andhra Pradesh reported the highest Covid-19 excess deaths (81,820) in 2021 against the official count of 7,837 excess deaths.It is a ratio of eleven times more excess deaths.In comparison, Tamil Nadu had nearly seven times more excess deaths (1.64 lakh) due to Covid-19 in 2021 and Telangana had six times (15,090). These rates show a high degree of mismatch, suggesting equally high undercounting of deaths.How were excess deaths calculated? Despite the death rate remaining the same, the number of deaths will increase just like the population. Hence, 2019 death rates were applied, as per the Sample Registration System (SRS), to the population projected in 2021 by the Census office of India to reach at what the number of deaths should have been in 2021 in the normal run. The estimated figures were then compared to the actual number of deaths for 2021 as reported in the CRS.The difference is ‘excess deaths’ due to Covid-19.Despite these concerning mortality trends, Telangana distinguished itself as one of the few states to register between 50% and 80% of both births and deaths within 21 days, in line with official guidelines. In 2021, state recorded 6.11 lakh births, of which 4.47 lakh were registered within the stipulated time frame, achieving a timely registration rate of 73.1%.
