The death toll from COVID-19 crossed 500,000 on Friday, with many health experts saying it was violated last year, but inaccurate surveys and countless deaths in the hinterland remain unclear, with millions of people suffering from the disease.


 

According to official data, India, which has the fourth highest number of deaths worldwide, recorded 400,000 deaths as of July last year after the devastating outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus. Some experts believe the statistics are too high.

"Our study, published in the Journal, estimates 3 million Covid deaths in India by 2021 using three separate databases," Chinmay Tumbe, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, told Reuters.

The central government last month dismissed the study as unfounded, citing a strong system for reporting births and deaths in the notification.

States record deaths from COVID-19 after collecting data from their districts. Over the past few months, several states have updated the death toll, with some under Supreme Court pressure. Officials say delays in most cases are due to other administrative errors.

The country is currently in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus led by the Omicron variant, with some top experts saying it is already in community transmission, but central officials say most cases are mild. Last month, the government relaxed test rules and told states to discontinue mandatory tests for certified contacts who are struggling with adults or other conditions. However, the government amended the circular to warn that the virus could spread as the number of tests dropped.

Also Read: Covid-19 News: 1.49 lakh new cases reported in India, positive rate dropped to 9.27%;1,072 deaths.

However, since most infected people choose not to be tested, the overall infection numbers may not reflect the scope and severity of the cases, said Gautam Menon, a professor of physics and biology at Asoka University near the capital, who is tracking the spread. With the virus.

According to official figures, the total number of COVID-19 infections in India has reached 41.95 million, the second highest in the world after the United States. According to the Union Health Ministry, 500,055 people died on Friday, compared to 1,072 in the last 24 hours. Of these, 335 deaths were reported from the southern state of Kerala, which has been updating data on deaths from weeks to last year.

Kerala, with less than 3% of India's 1.35 billion population, accounts for almost 11% of the total deaths in the country. "Some states like Kerala are registering their backlog deaths under legal pressure, but not all states have done so," Menon said.

In Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, authorities have received 100,000 claims for COVID-19 compensation, of which 87,000 claims have been approved, a senior government official said.

According to government data, the number of claims received is almost ten times higher than the official COVID-19 death toll of 10,545. "COVID-19 deaths have not been reported less. The process of paying compensation as per the Supreme Court orders is very generous and therefore the number of applicants is higher than the COVID-19 deaths," the official said.

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