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Low #COVIDー19 numbers (especially deaths) in densely populated South Asia a little puzzling. Factors that may explain it: lower fatality attributed due to young population + poor collection of data re:health and consequent under-counting of deaths. 1/n https://scroll.in/article/959771/what-explains-low-coronavirus-numbers-in-poor-and-densely-populated-south-asia
The region has a pretty young population profile: Percentage of pop >65 years is 6.18% in #India, 4.56% in #Pakistan, 6.42% in #Bangladesh, 5.73% in #Nepal, with most in #SriLanka at 9.98%. 2/n
But lack of reporting and recording of deaths even in the best of circumstances is also pretty low, which is highly likely to lead to undercount of #COVID fatalities. Only 1/5th of deaths in #India usually actually certified and recorded. 3/n https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-covid-19-will-hit-india
A study from 2013 found that less than 14% of deaths officially recorded in #Bangladesh and 85% of deaths take place in homes - the latter with limited or no medical supervision. 4/n
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/9/18-219162.pdf
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/9/18-219162.pdf
This masks wider regional discrepancies within India - medical certification of deaths in poor states - Bihar (6.8%), Jharkhand (4.7%) and Uttar Pradesh (8.6%) is abysmally low (p.12). Also 9.4% in Madhya Pradesh which emerged as a #COVID hotspot. 5/n
http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-Documents/mccd_Report1/MCCD_Report-2017.pdf
http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-Documents/mccd_Report1/MCCD_Report-2017.pdf
But focus on #COVID also detracting treatment & drugs from other respiratory diseases such as #TB, which could lead to increase in deaths from other causes. Respiratory diseases are also among the top 3 causes of death in #India. 6/n https://twitter.com/VidyaKrishnan/status/1252977296434098180?s=20
