Global pharma interests influencing WHO COVID-19 deaths report: Govt sources
The report by WHO claimed that 4.7 million succumbed to the novel coronavirus in India from 2020-21, 10 times more than what India officially reported.
- May 11, 2022,
- Updated May 11, 2022 9:35 AM IST
Government has termed the World Health Organisation (WHO) report on COVID-19 deaths as mischevious, as per sources. The report by WHO claimed that 4.7 million succumbed to the novel coronavirus in India from 2020-21, 10 times more than what India officially reported.
Sources told India Today that the government is not ruling out the influence of the global pharmaceutical interests on the report, while adding the government fears that pharma majors denied India’s entry in the COVID-19 vaccine market.
They also said that the global health body tried to release this report prior to the assembly elections in five states this year. India was questioning WHO’s methodology of estimating COVID-19 death count since November 2021 and had sent 9 letters to the global health body between November 2021- May 2 regarding the same.
The health ministry held 5 virtual meetings with the WHO representatives seeking details of scientific methodology and India’s categorisation with small nations with no registration of deaths. This, however, is not the first time that WHO’s methodology of estimating COVID-19 deaths has been questioned.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at the 14th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW), “On the second day of the conference of the CCHFW yesterday we have passed a resolution that we do not agree to the WHO’s estimate of Covid mortality for India.” He added, “India records its deaths through a transparent and legal process. All the states and union territories provided correct and authentic data to the registry.”
NITI Aayog member DR VK Paul said, “We understand that this report has covered what they label as excess mortality in the year spanning COVID-19. India has been telling WHO via diplomatic channels with data that we don’t agree with the methodology followed for us. They’ve used a methodology for several nations based on systematic collection of data for deaths. We’ve a similar system. We’ve a robust system of CRS. We have an actual count of deaths for 2020 and as per law. The timeline of the 2021 numbers will also come.”
According to the DG of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava, neither India nor the WHO had a definition of deaths when we had deaths occurring. He further explains that India looked at all the data and came to the conclusion that 95 per cent of deaths that occurred after testing COVID-19 positive were within first four weeks and thus, a cut-off of 30 days was set for defining COVID-19 death.
(With inputs from Rahul Shrivastava, Milan Sharma, PTI)
Also read: ‘Science doesn’t lie, Modi does’: Rahul Gandhi on discrepancy over COVID-19 deaths data
Also read: India's COVID-19 death count: Experts divided over WHO report
Government has termed the World Health Organisation (WHO) report on COVID-19 deaths as mischevious, as per sources. The report by WHO claimed that 4.7 million succumbed to the novel coronavirus in India from 2020-21, 10 times more than what India officially reported.
Sources told India Today that the government is not ruling out the influence of the global pharmaceutical interests on the report, while adding the government fears that pharma majors denied India’s entry in the COVID-19 vaccine market.
They also said that the global health body tried to release this report prior to the assembly elections in five states this year. India was questioning WHO’s methodology of estimating COVID-19 death count since November 2021 and had sent 9 letters to the global health body between November 2021- May 2 regarding the same.
The health ministry held 5 virtual meetings with the WHO representatives seeking details of scientific methodology and India’s categorisation with small nations with no registration of deaths. This, however, is not the first time that WHO’s methodology of estimating COVID-19 deaths has been questioned.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at the 14th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW), “On the second day of the conference of the CCHFW yesterday we have passed a resolution that we do not agree to the WHO’s estimate of Covid mortality for India.” He added, “India records its deaths through a transparent and legal process. All the states and union territories provided correct and authentic data to the registry.”
NITI Aayog member DR VK Paul said, “We understand that this report has covered what they label as excess mortality in the year spanning COVID-19. India has been telling WHO via diplomatic channels with data that we don’t agree with the methodology followed for us. They’ve used a methodology for several nations based on systematic collection of data for deaths. We’ve a similar system. We’ve a robust system of CRS. We have an actual count of deaths for 2020 and as per law. The timeline of the 2021 numbers will also come.”
According to the DG of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava, neither India nor the WHO had a definition of deaths when we had deaths occurring. He further explains that India looked at all the data and came to the conclusion that 95 per cent of deaths that occurred after testing COVID-19 positive were within first four weeks and thus, a cut-off of 30 days was set for defining COVID-19 death.
(With inputs from Rahul Shrivastava, Milan Sharma, PTI)
Also read: ‘Science doesn’t lie, Modi does’: Rahul Gandhi on discrepancy over COVID-19 deaths data
Also read: India's COVID-19 death count: Experts divided over WHO report