India’s COVID death rate hit record in June after calls for better data

India’s COVID-19 deaths relative to infections hit a record high in June after cases peaked in early May, an analysis of government data shows, amid pressure on authorities to accurately report deaths from a second wave of the virus.

A big rise in infections in April and May, driven largely by the more infectious and dangerous Delta variant, brought India’s health system to its knees.

India has officially reported 403,281 deaths out of 29.75 million people who have contracted the virus.

While the country of 1.35 billion people has reported fewer deaths than the United States and Brazil some experts believe its actual case and fatality numbers are several times higher.

Based on data reported by state authorities and collated by the federal health ministry, the COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) jumped to about 3% in June from 1.26% in October, the first full month after the peak of its first wave of infections.

India’s overall reported CFR is 1.31%, one of the lowest in the world, which the government has highlighted as a sign of the effectiveness of its pandemic response.

via Reuters