Read on Twitter
Report says average deaths in Istanbul between 9 March and 12 April exceed previous years' averages by 30%, casting doubt on Turkey's official Covid19 death figures. Data seems solid, has been noted by @abdaydgn and others for a couple of weeks. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/world/middleeast/coronavirus-turkey-deaths.html
However, report doesn't provide evidence for its suggestion that underreporting is part of official attempt to "hide" real figures. Onur Altindağ ( @ronuraltindag, quoted in NYT report) gives possible explanations for higher Istanbul deaths in this thread https://twitter.com/ronuraltindag/status/1251569393311657986
They include people not being able to move deceased family members outside of quarantined Istanbul for funerals, as well as indirect deaths caused by people with other medical conditions not getting necessary medical treatment (similar to other badly affected countries).
These possible reasons aren't mentioned in NYT report. Claim of official "hiding" may well be true, but evidence is not included in the report. Should be more cautious.
