Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1442
Covid-19: Peru’s official death toll triples to become world’s highest
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1442 (Published 04 June 2021)
Peru has revised its official death toll in the covid-19 pandemic from 69 342 to 185 380, after a scientific review of medical records ordered by the government. The new figure means that Peru has had 5551 covid deaths per million population, proportionally the worst official toll in the world. Hungary, which before this week had the world’s highest official toll per capita, now stands a distant second at 3094 deaths per million.
More than 0.5% of Peru’s people have died from covid-19, a toll worse than that recorded by the UK in the 1918-20 “Spanish” influenza pandemic.
“We think it is our duty to make public this updated information,” said the Peruvian prime minister, Violeta Bermúdez, at a news conference announcing the publication of the report.1
Many covid-19 deaths were not initially classified as such, said health minister Óscar Ugarte, because of a lack of testing. But a review of cases that sought covid symptoms has brought the official figure into line with the country’s actual spike in excess deaths over the past year.
Whether Peru is actually the hardest hit country is unclear, as several others show evidence of undercounting their losses, including Russia, India, Mexico, and much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.2...
Covid-19: Peru’s official death toll triples to become world’s highest
BMJ 2021; 373 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1442 (Published 04 June 2021)
Peru has revised its official death toll in the covid-19 pandemic from 69 342 to 185 380, after a scientific review of medical records ordered by the government. The new figure means that Peru has had 5551 covid deaths per million population, proportionally the worst official toll in the world. Hungary, which before this week had the world’s highest official toll per capita, now stands a distant second at 3094 deaths per million.
More than 0.5% of Peru’s people have died from covid-19, a toll worse than that recorded by the UK in the 1918-20 “Spanish” influenza pandemic.
“We think it is our duty to make public this updated information,” said the Peruvian prime minister, Violeta Bermúdez, at a news conference announcing the publication of the report.1
Many covid-19 deaths were not initially classified as such, said health minister Óscar Ugarte, because of a lack of testing. But a review of cases that sought covid symptoms has brought the official figure into line with the country’s actual spike in excess deaths over the past year.
Whether Peru is actually the hardest hit country is unclear, as several others show evidence of undercounting their losses, including Russia, India, Mexico, and much of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.2...