Report finds huge underreporting of Covid-19 deaths in Tamil Nadu, govt denies

A report published by an NGO in Tamil Nadu has claimed massive underreporting on Covid-19 deaths going unchecked in the state. However, the Tamil Nadu government has denied the claim, saying it has no reason to hide the actual death rate.

An NGO in Tamil Nadu has published a report claiming that the number of Covid-19 related deaths in the state is likely to be eight times higher than the government data. However, the state government has debunked the report, saying there was no reason for the government to show a reduced death rate. The report, published by Chennai-based NGO Arappor Iyakkam, analysed data of six government hospitals and claimed that the actual deaths in these hospitals were close to 13.6 times higher than the state government data. The NGO used state government data of the death certificates issued to Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital, Tiruchi, Vellore Medical College Hospital, Karur Medical College Hospital and Tiruppur Government Headquarters Hospital.