Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, several experts had suggested that most countries are underreporting fresh coronavirus cases and Covid-related deaths. And now, as the second wave of the Covid is continuing its killing spree in India, a report published in the New York Times has suggested that the actual number of Covid-related deaths in India could be much higher than the official figures released by the government.
More than half of the Indian population infected with coronavirus pandemic
According to the official figures, more than 2.6 crore Indians are infected with the Covid pandemic, while the number of people who succumbed to the virus is over 3 lakhs. However, the new report suggested that the actual number of deaths could be over 42 lakh in the worst-case scenario. The report also added that the total number of positive cases in the country could be over 70 crores in the worst-case scenario, which means more than half of the Indian population are infected with the Covid pandemic.
Even in the normal case scenario, the number of deaths in India due to the coronavirus pandemic could be more than 16 lakh, five times more than the official figures, the report stated.
In the report titled 'Just How Big Could India's True Covid Toll Be?' NYT revealed that they made this conclusion after conducting three national serosurveys and consulting with more than a dozen experts.
"Because hospitals are overwhelmed, many Covid deaths occur at home, especially in rural areas, and are omitted from the official count. Laboratories that could confirm the cause of death are equally swamped. Additionally, other researchers have found, there are few Covid tests available; often families are unwilling to say that their loved ones have died of Covid, and the system for keeping vital records in India is shaky at best," said Kayoko Shioda, an epidemiologist at Emory University.
India battling the coronavirus second wave
India, at one point in time, had shown the signs of flattening the coronavirus chaos curve. However, post-March, fresh Covid cases in the country started surging, and the nation started witnessing more than 4 lakh fresh cases in the day. However, over the past few days, the number of fresh cases has started declining.
On May 27, India witnessed 1,79,770 positive cases, the lowest number in 44 days. On the same day, 3,558 people lost their lives due to the coronavirus infection.
