COVID cases in India may be underreported by 300%, shows survey

A recent survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, has revealed that the actual number of COVID-19 cases in India may be underreported by as much as 300 per cent. The survey reached out to over 11,000 citizens across 303 districts in the country, with 66 per cent of the respondents being men and 34 per cent women. Furthermore, 46 per cent of the respondents were from tier 1, 32 per cent from tier 2, and 22 per cent from tier 3 and 4 districts.

The survey asked respondents about their COVID-19 testing practices in the last month. Shockingly, 76 per cent of those with COVID symptoms confirmed that they had not taken the COVID test. Only 12 per cent admitted to taking the RT-PCR test, and another 12 per cent had taken both the RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test.

The survey results indicate that most people in India are not considering taking the COVID test unless the individual experiencing symptoms has co-morbidities or other conditions. Instead, the majority are opting for symptomatic treatment.

The Union Health Ministry data reported over 4,435 new COVID cases and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours, with the current number of active infections in the country standing at 23,091. Several districts in Delhi and NCR cities have a test positivity rate ranging from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, even though most people are refraining from undertaking the COVID test and taking symptomatic treatment.

According to the LocalCircles survey, there is an urgent need for increased testing and awareness campaigns to curb the spread of COVID-19 in India.

Also Watch: Why Covid-19 cases are increasing in India? Here's what we know so far