india

Updated: Apr 29, 2020 23:00 IST

The number of Covid-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh rose to 2,560 on Wednesday after 173 more people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours while the death toll has gone up to 130, according to the state government’s bulletin.

In another development, the government has stopped giving information on the total number of samples collected in the state for the past three days prompting public health experts to demand comprehensive data from the government daily.

Out of the total 173 positive cases reported in the past 24 hours 104 cases were reported from Indore alone. Indore’s tally rose to 1,476. A total of 65 people have died of Covid-19 in Indore.

In the state capital Bhopal which is the second worst hit district in the state, 35 cases were reported in the past 24 hours to take its tally to 483.

Fourteen people have died of Covid-19 in Bhopal. At least 12 of the deceased had survived the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Rachna Dhingra of Sambhavna Trust said, “At least 13 of the 14 deaths reported in Bhopal were of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims. The state government and the central government should immediately swing into action to protect the lives of tragedy survivors.”

The third worst hit district by Covid-19 is Ujjain with 127 cases and 23 casualties.

Out of 31 districts affected by the disease, there are 12 such districts which have the number of Covid-19 patients in double digits.

Public health experts Amulya Nidhi and SR Azad in a joint statement said, “It is alarming to see that the death rate in Madhya Pradesh is the highest in the country.

India’s Covid-19 mortality rate is 3.21%, whereas the fatality rate in Madhya Pradesh is more than 5%. The death rate has been stagnant at around 5% for the last 2 weeks. The death rate in Delhi is 1.62%, Maharashtra 4.29%, Gujarat 4.79%, and in Rajasthan 2.11%. In the last 3 days, there have been deaths in 3 new districts namely Khandwa, Raisen and Ashoknagar.”

Demanding a comprehensive bulletin every day the statement ssid, “The state government bulletin has stopped providing the total number of test samples and pending test results since April 27. Till April 26, there were 8,439 pending test results. A lot of patients have been waiting for numbers of days for their test results. But now, as there is no data being given on pending test results and availability of test kits, there is no transparency around the testing situation of MP.”

The additional chief secretary of health Mohd Suleman could not be reached for his comments.

However, a department official who did not want to be named said, “The health minister Narottam Mishra himself has gone on record saying that there would be a jump in the number once or twice and then the situation will improve. As far as the data of total number of samples is concerned it’s not to hide from the public but the department is getting information from the districts in a piecemeal manner, hence it’s difficult to give a clear picture as to how many samples have been collected across the state.”