Many experts say that the actual figures are possibly much higher due to low detection rates and the fact that deaths are not recorded correctly in the vast and impoverished country of 1.3 billion people.
Last week, India overcame Britain with the fourth-highest death toll in the world, the United States, Brazil and Mexico, and on Monday recorded 50,921 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
With some of the world’s largest megacities and slums, India is already the third most inflamed country, the United States and Brazil, with 2.65 million infections.
Despite the increase in the death toll, the Ministry of Health said Sunday that the 1.92% virus mortality rate in India “is one of the lowest in the world.”
“Successful implementation of competitive testing, comprehensive monitoring and effective remedy through a plethora of measures have contributed to the existing higher recovery point,” the ministry said.
According to the Worldometer follow-up, the United States, with 170,000 deaths, has a 3.11% mortality rate, while Brazil, with nearly 110,000 deaths, sees 3.22% of other people who tested positive die.
According to India’s Ministry of Health, the United States “has surpassed 50,000 deaths in 23 days, Brazil in 95 days and Mexico in 141 days.India took 156 days to reach this national figure.”
Possible reasons that have been reported stem from India’s young population, climate, and greater exposure to TB pathogens than elsewhere.
But experts say India’s detection rates consistent with millions of other people are much lower than in other countries and that very few deaths are well recorded, even in general times.
“(A) pair of studies have indicated that Array … one in four deaths is qualified and a cause of death is established,” Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases, of the Indian Medical Research Council, told AFP.
In addition, the maximum of tests performed – up to 30% nationally – are the least reliable antigenic tests where “false negatives” can be reported in most cases, according to the media.
Blocking misery
Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed one of the strictest blockades in the world in March.
It struck asia’s third-largest economy and upset the country’s poor, with tens of millions of migrant workers being unemployed almost overnight.
Many of them have returned pennilessly to their home villages from cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, many of them on foot, and some died along the way.
Since then, the blockade has eased, but many sectors complain about labour shortages.
Meanwhile, state and local governments across the country have re-imposed blocking measures as the virus has spread to small and rural areas, where approximately 70% of Indians live.
In many rural areas, however, anecdotal evidence suggests that measures to prevent spread, such as masking and estrangement, are largely ignored.
In addition, the lack of public awareness has contributed to the ostracism of others with the virus, which makes other people more reluctant to get tested.
Outdoor health services in major cities are also in high demand.
“In small towns and rural areas, COVID-19 tests may not be available,” Lalit said.