Traditionally the infant death tolls in the state have been sub-optimal, but during the pandemic, the state registered a drop of 20%. The drop was majorly visualized in rural areas stated the Registrar General of India. According to the data, 13.8 thousand deaths were reported in 2020, a 19% drop from 17000 deaths reported in 2019. Doctor Abhay Bang, a pediatrician stated that the governmental registrations are underestimating the real figures for infant death adding that according to the National Family Health Survey, Maharashtra’s Infant Mortality rate should be around 8.

The Civil Registration System showed that several districts registered zero infant death, while the other districts such as Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Sindhudurg, etc. registered death tolls in single digits.

Dr. Sivaji Pawar, District Health Officer stated that according to the internal reporting system the infant mortality rate is 7 per 1000 live births during the pandemic. He further explained that death records are registered by the local bodies that have a hierarchical and robust functional structure.