India's Covid-19-related deaths per million higher than South Asian nations

Multiple factors may have contributed to India reporting higher Covid-19-related deaths per million population than other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the government said on Tuesday.

According to Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the comparison of deaths per million might not be apt as there were factors such as varied geography, case definitions, surveillance, testing and reporting protocols.

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To a question on whether it is a fact that Covid-19-related deaths per million population in India is much higher than that in other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he said in the Rajya Sabha, "Yes. Comparison of deaths per million may not be apt as there are multiple factors that may contribute to this observation."

These factors are "varied geographies, island nation, case definitions, surveillance, testing and reporting protocols, attribution of death etc.", he said in a written reply.

Choubey said an analysis of countries that had reported higher number of cases, however, indicated that the deaths per million population in India was among the lowest.

India has recorded 112 deaths per million population, while the US has reported 1,347, the UK 1,533, Spain 1,247, Brazil 1,044 and Russia 495.