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INDIA – Deaths from the new coronavirus in India topped 100,000 on Saturday, official data showed, as the pandemic continued to sweep through the world’s second-most populous country.
A total of 100,842 people have died, figures from the Health Ministry showed, giving India the third highest number of deaths in the world behind the United States and Brazil.
In terms of infections, India has registered 6.47 million cases and is on track to surpass the United States as the country with the most infections in the coming weeks.
India’s population of 1.3 billion is, however, around four times larger than that of the United States, which has seen more than twice the deaths, raising questions about India’s official figures.
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“We do not know the reliability of the death rates in India,” virologist T. Jacob John told AFP.
“India does not have a public health surveillance system that documents all disease and death events in real time,” he said.
Despite the fact that India performs around one million tests per day, as a percentage of the population, its test rate is much lower than in many other countries.
The United States, for example, has tested more than five times as many people as India in proportion, according to the Worldometer tracking website.
The fact that the actual figures for India may be much worse than official data suggests is confirmed by a series of studies measuring antibodies to the virus among the population.
On Tuesday, India’s leading pandemic agency released a survey suggesting that more than 60 million people, 10 times the official number, may have contracted the virus.
– To unlock –
At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is pushing ahead with opening up Asia’s third-largest economy even as virus cases rise.
A strict lockdown imposed in March not only failed to stop the spread of the virus, but also caused misery to millions of people who were suddenly out of work.
In the latest quarter, the Indian economy, which was struggling even before the pandemic, contracted 24 percent, one of the steepest declines of any major economy.
International commercial flights remain suspended, although limited services have been operating, many of them to allow citizens to return to their home countries.
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Trains, subways, domestic flights, markets and restaurants have already reopened or resumed service, with some restrictions.
On Wednesday, the government said that all schools could reopen along with movie theaters and swimming urns, subject to certain conditions.
The state of Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million people, will allow religious events from October 15, paving the way for large gatherings in India’s upcoming holiday season.
The state of Bihar will allow its 70 million voters to cast their votes in the upcoming elections, one of the largest in the world since the pandemic began.
Dildar Singh Rana, 57, said the hotel industry he works in has suffered “destruction” and has no choice but to open up despite the health risks.
“The virus is sweeping … But we fear losing to rivals with a lot of money, so we have to venture out and start our business,” he told AFP.
Priya Hemnani, 25, from Faizabad city, fired during the lockdown, said she believes the pandemic is having a major effect on the mental health of Indians.
“Depression, anxiety disorders and stress have become part of my daily lifestyle,” he told AFP.
