Insurance claims for COVID-19 treatment and deaths in mega cities indicate under-reporting: study

‘Total claims from non-government schemes in six cities during June accounted for 91% of cases reported’

The six mega cities of India — Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru — together reported a total of 36,688 COVID-19 cases during this July. The total health insurance claims for COVID-19 treatment from non-government schemes in these six cities during the month was 33,241, accounting for as much as 91% of the cases reported. Citing these figures, Jeevan Raksha, a public-private initiative involving Proxima, a management firm, and Public Health Foundation of India, which is studying COVID-19 trends across the country, has raised questions over data integrity.