Controversy Over Inaccurate COVID-19 Death Statistics by Indian State Governments... "Several Times Higher Than Reported"

Regions with 100-Fold Increase in Daily Deaths
480,000 Suspected Cases Confirmed Across India

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] In India, where chaos is intensifying due to the massive spread of COVID-19, distrust in the government is growing amid controversies over underreporting of deaths by local governments. It is reported that in some states, the number of deaths counted late is more than 10 times higher.

On the 21st, the Indian daily The Hindu cited the resident registration system of Karnataka state in southern India and reported that the number of "excess deaths" recorded from April last year to May this year during the COVID-19 pandemic was 167,788, which is 5.8 times higher than the 29,090 officially announced by the government. Excess deaths refer to the number of deaths exceeding the expected number due to variables such as disease or pollution. In Karnataka, the COVID-19 outbreak during this period is analyzed as the main cause of excess deaths.

Indian broadcaster NDTV also reported similar cases in Bihar state in the north. NDTV investigated the resident registration system and pointed out that the number of deaths in Bihar from January to May this year was about 220,000, an increase of 82,500 compared to the same period last year, while the official COVID-19 death count during this period was only 7,717. NDTV stated, "There is no explanation for nearly 75,000 deaths, which is about 10 times the official COVID-19 death count during the same period," and raised suspicions that the government omitted COVID-19 death numbers.

Earlier, Bihar sparked controversy by registering 3,971 new deaths in one day on the 9th. Considering that the number of new deaths in Bihar was only 34 the previous day, the number of deaths increased more than 100 times in one day. Bihar explained that the sudden increase in new deaths was due to the one-time reflection of omitted figures, including those who died in private hospitals and at home.

Maharashtra state, led by Mumbai, is also known to have recently reflected more than 9,000 deaths in its statistics after re-investigating the death count. NDTV reported that suspicious cases totaling 480,000 were confirmed in five states including New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

As a result, it is estimated that the actual cumulative death toll in India is more than 10 times the official statistics. As of this day, India's cumulative death toll is 388,135, and the daily new confirmed cases were counted at 53,256. The daily death toll, which hovered around 4,000 last month, was reported as 1,422 on this day.