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WHO METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING Covid-19 MORTALITY 

18th April, 2022 Social Issues

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Context - Indian Government has objected to the WHO method used for Calculating covid-19 mortality.

 

WHO Methodology and concerns raised by the Indian Government

  • The Indian Government has objected to the World Health Organization methodology used for Calculating covid-19 mortality.
  • Concerns were raised by India along with China, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, Ethiopia and Egypt, about the methodology and use of unofficial sets of data.
  • The main concern is about how the same statistical model could be used to estimate mortality in a larger country with a huge geographical size and the population also fits in with other countries which have smaller populations.
  • Indian government objected that ‘A one-size-fits-all approach and models which are true for smaller countries like Tunisia may not be applicable to India with a population of 1.3 billion,”
  • The Government of India highlighted that the WHO model assumed an inverse relationship between monthly temperature and monthly average deaths, which did not have any scientific backing.
  • The Indian Government has stated that India is always ready to collaborate with the WHO, but at the same time, India also believes that in-depth clarity on methodology and clear proof of its validity are crucial for policymakers to feel confident about any use of such data.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-objects-to-who-methodology-for-calculating-covid-19-toll/article65327583.ece