Data Points At Possible Undercounting Of Covid Deaths In Madhya Pradesh

This is not the first time that questions have been raised about Madhya Pradesh's Covid deaths data

Indicating a possible massive undercounting in COVID-19 deaths in Madhya Pradesh, the number of reported deaths in the state during the second wave of the pandemic was over three times more than the average number of deaths reported during these months in pre-Covid times. However, the official figures for Covid deaths are only a fraction of these excess deaths reported. According to data from the Civil Registration System, which was first accessed by journalist Rukmini S, 59,000 deaths were reported on an average in Madhya Pradesh, in the April-May period of 2018 and 2019. However, during these two months this year, which also marked the peak of the second wave, 2.3 lakh deaths were reported in the state. This marks a 290 per cent increase compared to the average deaths in these months during pre-Covid times.