Study: Indian pandemic deaths vastly underreported

India recorded between 3 million and 4.7 million excess deaths between January 2020 and June 2021, according to a Tuesday report. The researchers compared the data of deaths from all causes during that time to mortality in previous years. Indian authorities have reported more than 414,000 deaths from the coronavirus, which many experts have said is an undercount. The report, published by India’s former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian and researchers from Harvard University and the Center for Global Development, said the actual deaths make this period “arguably India’s worst human tragedy since Partition and independence,” when hundreds of thousands of people died in sectarian violence.

Where is the disease spreading abroad? Iran began a weeklong lockdown in the capital city of Tehran and surrounding areas on Tuesday. Indonesian authorities placed limitations on mosque gatherings as Muslims celebrated the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival. The country recorded 34,257 new infections and 1,338 deaths on Monday, marking its deadliest day since the pandemic began.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on India’s surge in COVID-19 cases in April.