An affidavit presented by the Indian Government in the Supreme Court

Death due to Covid-19 will be mentioned on the death Certificate

New Delhi – ‘Death due to Covid-19 will be mentioned on the death Certificate all over India’, the Indian Government informed the Supreme Court. These guidelines have been issued by the Government 10 days after the pressure from the Supreme Court.

The Government said that the Ministry of Health and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have jointly prepared the guidelines. Under this, an ‘official document’ for Covid-19 related deaths will be issued.

Centre files affidavit with guidelines for COVID-19 death certificates in Supreme Court#COVID19 #Coronavirus https://t.co/QeClwTC4SD

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) September 12, 2021

Guidelines

According to the guidelines, the Covid-19 cases are those which are diagnosed through a positive RT-PCR/ molecular test, Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or clinically determined through investigations in a hospital/in-patient facility by a treating physician. If death occurs among these patients then it will be mentioned on their death certificate. Deaths occurring due to poisoning, suicide, homicide, and deaths due to accident, etc. will not be considered as Covid-19 deaths, even if it is an accompanying condition, it added.

Deaths occurring within 30 days after the test will be treated as deaths due to Covid-19. As per the study by ICMR, 95 per cent of deaths take place within 25 days of testing positive for Covid-19; but now, as per the changes in the rules, deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing, will be treated as deaths due to Covid-19. Even though the death takes place in-patient facility/ hospital, this rule applies.