Mass cremations cast doubt on India’s counting of COVID dead

In India, the number of people infected and died from the new coronavirus infection is growing rapidly. The surge in incidence has bypassed all other countries and reached 300,000 cases per day.

The situation has evolved rapidly over the past few weeks. At the end of March, the number of registered cases of infection was about 70,000, with a population of 1.4 billion people.

Such an increase in the incidence may be associated with some indulgence in the precautionary measures allowed by the authorities and the local residents.

At the beginning of this year, there was a drop in official incidence rates to 10,000 cases per day, which could have let people relax. The actions of the authorities, who eased up a number of restrictive measures and again allowed mass events, could also have an impact on it.

It is worth saying that the Indian health care system is now under severe stress.

Hospitals can barely cope with the number of incoming patients, in a number of large cities there are practically no vacant places in intensive care, and there is not enough oxygen for mechanical ventilation.

Given this situation, it is not surprising that the number of deaths is growing rapidly. As of April 22, 2,023 deaths were recorded in the country. Crematoria are working at maximum load, there are reports of burning bodies on the streets, since there are simply not enough places in crematoria. According to official figures, over 190,000 people have already died from the coronavirus in the country.