Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has decided to revise the list of COVID deaths in Kerala in accordance with the Centre's guidelines.
Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday that steps were being taken to finalise a fresh set of guidelines. The minister said that a detailed list in this regard will be released soon.
As of Wednesday, Kerala had 24,039 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. However, the numbers are likely to be higher when the fresh guidelines come into effect.
If the death of a person occurs within 30 days of recovering from the COVID-19 infection, it will be considered as due to the pandemic, said the minister. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare along with the Indian Council of Medical Research had said the same in a guidelines that the Centre had issued earlier this month.
Veena George said that the Health Department has conducted an enquiry into COVID deaths and that necessary steps will be taken to rectify the issues. Complaint redressal is also part of the plan, the minister noted.
"The state government will do everything possible to ensure that those eligible get their compensation," said Veena George, who added that the state government was expecting a dip in the number of fresh cases.
The other day, the central government had submitted before the Supreme Court that it has recommended Rs 50,000 ex-gratia payment for the families of COVID victims. The amount is also for those involved in relief operations.
The apex court will be considering the submission and pronounce its order on October 4.
Earlier on the day, Veena George visited two ICUs being readied at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. She said that the additional facilities were being set up in preparation for a potential third wave.
The soon-to-be-inaugurated ICUs in wards 7 and 8 of the medical college are equipped with 100 beds at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore. In these ICUs, 17 ventillators are also available and more will be readied soon.
