Counting the Uncounted

An investigation by The Indian Express team of reporters suggests that there is an undercount in the number of Covid-19 deaths. But exactly how much may never be known — it can only be estimated and, that too, in at least a year given the way India counts its dead. As part of the investigation, the newspaper approached several state governments of whom eight — these account for almost a third of all Covid deaths as of last week — provided records of deaths they have registered in April and May this year as per the Civil Registration System (CRS).