India has undercounted Covid-19 deaths by hundreds of thousands: Report
New Delhi
28-June-2021

Photo: IANS
India has officially recorded more than 3,90,000 coronavirus deaths, but families who have lost loved ones, health experts and statisticians say that vastly undercounts the true toll, Wall Street Journal reported.
The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation believes the true death toll in India may exceed 1.1 million, almost three times the reported number.
India's undercount has also left a huge gap in the world's understanding of the impact of the Delta variant, which health experts believe helped drive one of the world's worst Covid-19 surges in April and May. India was the first to detect the highly infectious variant, which has hopscotched around the world. It is fuelling a surge in the UK, and is expected to become the dominant variant in the US.
An accurate count of Covid-19 infections and deaths is "a very important part of understanding how big a threat new variants are," said Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, quoted in WSJ.
As coronavirus cases rose rapidly across India in April, a 70-year-old woman died at her home in the eastern state of Bihar. A rapid antigen test for Covid-19 had been positive, and a lung scan had indicated viral pneumonia and the "possibility of Covid infection."
But Shila Singh's death hasn't been counted among India's Covid-19 toll.
Watch This TWL Video
Families like Mrs. Singh's have been left struggling to get compensation that some states have set up for Covid-19 victims, the report said.-IANS
More Headlines
Chennai Police Hunt Suspects After Brutal Kotturpuram Double Murder
Haryana BJP Leader Shot Dead Over Land Dispute On Holi: Police
Mumbai Police Bust High-Profile Sex Racket in Hiranandani Hotel
NPG Evaluates 8 Key Infrastructure Projects Under PM GatiShakti Plan
Rupee Symbol Debate Heats Up as Tamil Nadu Opts for ‘ரூ’
Chennai Police Hunt Suspects After Brutal Kotturpuram Double Murder
Haryana BJP Leader Shot Dead Over Land Dispute On Holi: Police
Mumbai Police Bust High-Profile Sex Racket in Hiranandani Hotel
NPG Evaluates 8 Key Infrastructure Projects Under PM GatiShakti Plan
Rupee Symbol Debate Heats Up as Tamil Nadu Opts for ‘ரூ’