Peru adjusts COVID-19 death toll, now highest per capita overall

A government review finds that 180,764 died from the disease – almost triple the previous official figure of 69,342.

Peru announced on Monday a sharp increase in its COVID-19 death toll, saying there have been more than 180,000 fatalities since the pandemic hit early last year, making it the country with the worst death rate per capita in the world. The announcement was made in the presidential palace during the presentation of a report by a working group commissioned to analyse and update the death toll. The results of the study put the new toll at 180,764 in a population of about 32.6 million, compared with recent data indicating that 69,342 people had died from COVID-19. “What is being said is that a significant number of deaths were not classified as caused by COVID-19,” Health Minister Oscar Ugarte said, adding that the criteria for assigning the new coronavirus as a cause of death were changed.