New Delhi: At least 329 doctors have succumbed to the novel coronavirus during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, said the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The IMA, which had earlier urged the government not to offload the guard against the Covid pandemic, said 80 out of these casualties have been reported from Bihar.
The IMA further said at least 73 doctors have died in Delhi while 41 doctors have succumbed to the virus in Uttar Pradesh.
Stating that at least 20 doctors are dying on an average per day due to Covid-19, the doctors’ association suggested that the actual number of deaths may be higher and said it is only maintaining a registry based on input from its various branches across India.
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The toll includes the doctors deployed in government hospitals, private hospitals and medical colleges.
Earlier on Tuesday, the IMA said 270 doctors had over the past two months lost their lives during the second Covid wave .
At least 748 doctors succumbed to the virus during the first wave of the pandemic last year.
The doctors and other healthcare and frontline workers were inoculated in the first phase of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme, which kicked-off on January 16 this year.
The vaccination programme was latest expanded to first include those above 60 years of age of 60 and later opened for those above 45 years.