"Conjectures With No Basis": Centre Dismisses Reports On "Undercounted" Covid Deaths

Coronavirus: Attributing any death to COVID-19 without any basis than based on empirical data is fallacious and such inferences are mere figments of imagination, Centre said.

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday dismissed as "conjectures" and "speculation" some media reports that claimed higher COVID-19 fatality figures based on data from the National Health Mission's Health Management Information System (HMIS). There have been some speculative media reports claiming higher fatality figures due to COVID-19 based on data from HMIS, the ministry said. "The report compares data from the Civil Registration System (CRS) and HMIS to draw erroneous inferences. Such reports are conjectures and speculation without any substantial basis," the ministry said. Citing the death numbers reported in the HMIS, the ministry in a statement noted that the media report goes on to say that "In the absence of other information, these deaths should all be considered as COVID-19 deaths".