COVID & History: What Past Pandemics Tell Us About Death and Infections in India I Chinmay Tumbe
- 3 years ago
As many of us live through our first experience of a pandemic, history is often quoted to draw examples and parallels. In his book, The Age of Pandemics (1817-1920): How They Shaped India and the World, Chinmay Tumbe, Author and Faculty at The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad chronicles the many facets of cholera, plague and influenza pandemics, which claimed over 70 million lives between 1817 and 1920, with India being the epicentre in all these episodes.
He says a spike in monthly and weekly death rates will be the surest indicator of the quantum of COVID deaths as death certificates may not be easily available in rural areas or in cases where the entire family has succumbed to the pandemic. Mr Tumbe said while influenza saw the worst death ever at 20 million, the anecdotal evidence being gathered at this point could point to a death toll of 1 million or more.
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He says a spike in monthly and weekly death rates will be the surest indicator of the quantum of COVID deaths as death certificates may not be easily available in rural areas or in cases where the entire family has succumbed to the pandemic. Mr Tumbe said while influenza saw the worst death ever at 20 million, the anecdotal evidence being gathered at this point could point to a death toll of 1 million or more.
Like our work? Click here to support The Wire: https://thewire.in/support
The founding premise of The Wire is this: if good journalism is to survive and thrive, it can only do so by being both editorially and financially independent. This means relying principally on contributions from readers and concerned citizens who have no interest other than to sustain a space for quality journalism. As a publication, The Wire will be firmly committed to the public interest and democratic values.
We publish in four different languages!
For English, visit www.thewire.in
for Hindi: http://thewirehindi.com/
for Urdu: http://thewireurdu.com
for Marathi: https://marathi.thewire.in
If you are a young writer or a creator, you can submit articles, essays, photos, poetry – anything that’s straight out of your imagination – to LiveWire, The Wire’s portal for the young, by the young. https://livewire.thewire.in/
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