India has one of the world’s lowest Covid-19 mortality rates. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story

For months, India has been struggling to control the coronavirus pandemic with limited success.

The country of 1.3 billion people has the second-highest number of cases globally (more than 4.4 million), and the third highest number of deaths (over 75,000), according to Johns Hopkins University – and the outbreakshows no sign of abating.

But India’s reported mortality rate – calculated by the number of deaths per 100 confirmed cases – is surprisingly low compared to other countries with high infection rates.

India’s Covid-19 mortality rate stands at 1.7%. For context, the same rate is about 3% in the US, 11.7% in the UK, and 12.6% in Italy, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The Indian government claims India’s lower death rate is a sign of its success in handling the crisis, and has used the figure to support its decision to lift some coronavirus restrictions.

“The average fatality rate in the country is … continuously going down,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a press release in August. “The target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon.”

But some scientists in Indiawarn that the numbers are incomplete and misleading – and that relying on them to reopen the country could make matters worse.

How bad is Covid-19 in India?

Though the number of reported cases had been steadily increasing since March, India’s epidemic intensified in June, when transmission began increasing at an exponential rate.

It took almost six months for India to record 1 million cases on July 17. Then, it took another three weeks to hit 2 million, 16 days to reach 3 million, and only 12 days to pass 4 million in early September.

Migrant workers gather outside Dharavi slums to board a bus to take them to railway terminus for boarding a special train back home during a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Mumbai on May 12, 2020. - India's enormous railway network was set slowly to grind back to life on May 12 in a gradual lifting of the world's biggest coronavirus lockdown, even as new cases surge. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP) (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article India presses ahead with reopening as daily coronavirus caseload surges to record-breaking high

New Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s two most-populous cities, are among the worst hit. In those cities, the crisis is exacerbated by slums where millions live in cramped conditions with little running water or sanitation.

The country was placed under a complete lockdown in March, forcing millions to remain indoors. The move devastated the economy, leaving millions of migrant workers without income and further marginalizing India’s poorest people.

Under pressure, the government began rolling back restrictions in May despite soaring infections. In July, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said India needed to turn its attention to the economy: “We now have to focus on the next stage. During Covid people lost their jobs, factories were closed, people faced losses, it became difficult for people to face themselves … Let us now focus on reviving India’s economy.”

Earlier this month, India’s subway reopened for the first time in five months, and from September 21 gatherings of up to 100 people will be permitted at sports, entertainment, cultural, religious and political events outside hotspots.

Are the statistics on death accurate?

The number of coronavirus cases in India may be rising, but the mortality rate is dropping. According to the Health Ministry, deaths per 100 cases went from 4% in April to 2.15% in August, and is now under 2%.

But some experts warn that the data is full of gaps. India has a weak, underfunded public health infrastructure, and for years it has failed to accurately record the deaths of its own citizens.

Even when India isn’t facing a pandemic, only 86% of deaths nationwide are even registered in government systems. And only 22% of all registered deaths get an official cause of death, certified by a doctor, said community medicine specialist Dr Hemant Shewade.

There are a few reasons behind this. The majority of people in India die at home or other places, not in a hospital, so doctors usually aren’t present to assign a cause of death.

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A demonstrator holds a sign that reads "Bolsonaro out" in a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's administration on June 19, 2021 in Rio de Janeiro. Many are angry at his handling of the Covid-19 crisis as the country marks 500,000 deaths from the virus.

Jeffrey Shiau, a volunteer from the crowd, spits water into the mouth of Sam Kaufman, a performer from the Human Fountains, during a "reopening party" in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 15. California lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday as part of a grand reopening in which the state ended capacity limits, physical distancing and — at least for those vaccinated — mask requirements.

People watch fireworks in front of the Statue of Liberty after the state of New York lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions on Tuesday, June 15. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 70% of adults in New York had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Exhausted grave diggers rest between funerals at a cemetery designated for Covid-19 victims in Bandung, Indonesia, on Tuesday, June 15.

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Dr. Brajpal Singh Tyagi, left, performs surgery to remove mucormycosis, a rare and potentially deadly infection also known as black fungus, from a patient in Ghaziabad, India, on June 1. In the past few weeks, thousands of black fungus cases have been reported across the country, with hundreds hospitalized and dozens dead. Many of those being infected are coronavirus patients or those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 and have weakened immune systems.

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People ride on a wave swinger at Chicago's Navy Pier on May 14. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its Covid-19 guidelines, saying it's safe for fully vaccinated people to remove their face masks in most settings.

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People in protective suits cremate the bodies of Covid-19 victims while others work to extend a crematorium in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 5. Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing in Nepal, resembling a similar outbreak in neighboring India.

Health workers carry signs while participating in a protest outside a hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 1. During the protest, which was part of International Workers' Day, they demanded better wages and working conditions as well as mass vaccinations against Covid-19.

Passengers sit on the deck of the Costa Smeralda cruise ship in Savona, Italy, on May 1. The Italian cruise line Costa Cruises set sail for the first time in more than four months.

A member of the group Rio de la Paz places a cross at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on April 30. It was in preparation for an event marking Brazil's Covid-19 death toll, which had reached 400,000.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Ottawa on April 23.

Funeral pyres burn in New Delhi as people wait to cremate Covid-19 victims on April 23. A second wave of Covid-19 is devastating India, killing thousands of people each day and setting world records for daily infections.

People sit in an observation area after receiving Covid-19 vaccines at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Appointments are no longer necessary at any of the vaccination sites run by the city.

Relatives of a patient who died from Covid-19 perform his last rites amid other burning pyres at a crematorium in New Delhi.

Migrant workers line up to enter a railway station ahead of a lockdown in Mumbai, India, on April 14.

A health worker at a charity hospital in Belém, Brazil, sings and prays for a Covid-19 patient as part of Easter celebrations on April 4.

This aerial photo shows an area of Mumbai, India, on April 10. Because of rising Covid-19 cases, a weekend lockdown was imposed across the entire state of Maharashtra.

The Rev. John Kellogg, rector of Christ Church, wears a protective mask as he distributes communion at a sunrise Easter service held at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Women in Krakow, Poland, carry Easter baskets after a food-blessing ceremony at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel on April 3.

People wear face masks and observe social distancing as they attend a Good Friday church service in Berlin on April 2.

People scatter as police fire water cannons to disperse a crowd at a park in Brussels, Belgium, on April 1. Violent clashes broke out between Brussels police and people gathering to attend a fake April Fool's Day festival that violated coronavirus restrictions.

Yoshia Uomoto, 98, reacts as her son Mark Uomoto and niece Gail Yamada surprise her at her assisted-living facility in Seattle on March 30. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, it was their first in-person visit in a year.

People in Barcelona, Spain, attend a concert for the rock group Love of Lesbian on March 27. Fans had to take a same-day Covid-19 test before attending the show, which was permitted by Spanish health authorities.

A person dressed as the Easter Bunny greets children in a vehicle during a drive-thru event in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 27.

Beachgoers are seen in Miami on March 22. Miami Beach was forced to extend a curfew and state of emergency, possibly for several weeks, after city police struggled to control shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of spring breakers over the weekend, Mayor Dan Gelber said.

Tercio Galdino and his wife, Alicea, wear astronaut costumes to protect themselves from Covid-19 as they walk along the Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro on March 20.

A remote-controlled robot takes a throat swab at a hospital in Tanta, Egypt, on March 20. The robot prototype is part of a project to assist physicians in testing patients for Covid-19.

Relatives of Tereza Santos, a Covid-19 victim, react as she is about to be buried in S?o Paulo, Brazil, on March 9.

First-grader Sophia Frazier does her schoolwork behind a plastic divider at Two Rivers Elementary School in Sacramento, California, on March 8.

Dr. Mayank Amin, dressed as Superman, prepares a Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, on March 7. Amin has been on a mission to vaccinate thousands of people in his rural community.

A child tosses a surgical mask into a fire during a mask-burning event at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on March 6. People gathered in at least 20 cities across the state to protest Covid-19 restrictions.

Country music legend Dolly Parton receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 2. She posted the video to her Twitter account, urging her followers to get their shot when they can.

From left, high school students Emma Banker, Jessi McIrvin and Valerie Sanchez record their vocals in pop-up tents during a choir class in Wenatchee, Washington, on February 26. Wenatchee High School has been using the tents for its music programs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anna, a resident of the Villa Sacra Famiglia Nursing Home, holds her daughter's hand in the Rome facility's "hug room" on February 24. The room allows residents and their families to touch one another while staying safe from Covid-19.

Members of Congress observe a moment of silence on the steps of the US Capitol on February 23. At that point, more than 500,000 Americans had lost their lives to Covid-19.

Peter Ben Embarek, a member of the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of Covid-19, receives a swab test on the balcony of a hotel in Wuhan, China, on February 3.

Sandra Fogel watches a movie alone January 30 during the Gothenburg Film Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden. Most fans watched the movies online this year. Fogel applied to be one of the few allowed to see a movie in person.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts during a Covid-19 news conference on January 26. The virus at that point had killed 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

A nurse takes care of a Covid-19 patient at a hospital in Pierre-Benite, France, on January 25.

People dance in a park in Wuhan, China, on January 23, a year after the city went into lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.

A morgue attendant, right, stands next to the body of a Covid-19 victim in Pretoria, South Africa, on January 22.

People wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccine January 20 at a vaccination center set up inside Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England.

A tennis player waits for a training session from his hotel in Melbourne on January 19. Dozens of players had to quarantine in hotels ahead of the Australian Open.

Kelvia Andrea Goncalves, left, is supported by her aunt Vanderleia dos Reis Brasao during the burial of her mother, Andrea dos Reis Brasao, in Manaus, Brazil, on January 17. Andrea, 39, died from Covid-19.

Chinese workers wait to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination center in Beijing on January 15.

Motorists wait in lines for Covid-19 tests outside of Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium on January 4.

A family gathers around the television in Liverpool, England, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation on January 4. Johnson reimposed a lockdown in England as a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 fueled a surge in infections and hospitalizations in the country.

Health-care workers celebrate the new year in the intensive care unit at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome.

Mortuary workers take off their personal protective equipment after removing the body of a person who allegedly died of Covid-19 in Barcelona, Spain, on December 23.

US President-elect Joe Biden receives the first dose of his Covid-19 vaccine during a live televised event in Newark, Delaware, on December 21.

Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded on December 8 after she became the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine. The United Kingdom was the world's first nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a fully vetted and authorized Covid-19 shot, a landmark moment in the coronavirus pandemic.

A doctor tests a man for Covid-19 in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on December 10.

Dr. Joseph Varon comforts a patient on Thanksgiving Day in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston.

Airline crew members wearing protective suits arrive at Los Angeles International Airport on November 24.

Workers in El Paso, Texas, move coronavirus victims from refrigerated trailers into the main morgue on November 23. El Paso County had seen a surge in coronavirus cases, and inmates were recruited to help the shorthanded, overworked staff.

Cali Hammer fist-bumps Santa, who was behind a plexiglass partition at a Cabela's store in Tilden Township, Pennsylvania, on November 20.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks during a news conference on November 19. Birx became the first official with the White House coronavirus task force to speak at a briefing while wearing a face mask.

Medical workers and patients are seen November 18 at a temporary hospital that was set up for coronavirus patients at the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow. Russia said that as of November 16, more than 33,000 people in the country had died of Covid-19. But that number is disputed by critics who say the Kremlin is underreporting the numbers.

Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient to a waiting flight at the Lyon-Bron Airport in France on November 16.

Cars line up at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing on November 14.

Spc. Demetrie Barnett of the Nevada National Guard administers a Covid-19 test to North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown during a preview of a free drive-thru testing site on November 12.

A nursing-home resident, left, speaks with her visiting daughter through a plastic screen in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, on November 11. The plastic screen is part of a "Hug Room" that allows residents and their families to embrace each other during the coronavirus pandemic.

A soldier waits at a window for a colleague's swab as they practice inside a rapid testing center in Liverpool, England, on November 6.

A medical worker looks away as she provides care to a Covid-19 patient in Saint-Etienne, France, on November 6.

A boy watches as a health worker tests someone for Covid-19 in Hyderabad, India, on October 27.

People shop at an outside market in Berlin on October 27.

A medic sits in an ambulance in Kommunarka, Russia, on October 27.

Commuters ride a bus in Beijing during rush hour on October 26.

Volunteers at a cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar, bury someone believed to have died from Covid-19.

People wait in a line to vote early in New York City on October 24. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state of New York was allowing early voting for the first time.

An oversized surgical mask is displayed on the front of a house in San Francisco. The homeowner put it there ahead of Halloween.

A cyclist takes pictures of a public art project set up on the DC Armory Parade Ground in Washington, DC. An estimated 240,000 flags were planted to represent lives lost to Covid-19. The display, created by local artist Susanne Brennan Firstenberg, was on display for two weeks.

Medical staff use a biocontainment stretcher to transfer a Covid-19 patient to a hospital in Varese, Italy, on October 19.

A dog is trained to sniff out Covid-19 at a national veterinary school in Paris on October 15.

A health worker takes a swab from a resident at a Covid-19 testing center in Qingdao, China, on October 12. The Chinese port city planned to test some 9 million people in the following days after 12 locally transmitted cases were reported.

A health worker in Manila, Philippines, sits behind a booth October 6 during mass testing for public transportation drivers.

An Orthodox Jewish man takes photos of a photographer with his cell phone during protests in New York on October 6. Members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested after the state announced new coronavirus-related restrictions.

A security guard gives hand sanitizer to students as they arrive at the Prabhat secondary school on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 6.

A man from the Mouride Brotherhood reads a book with poems written by Cheikh Amadou Bamba as he stands in line to enter the Grand Mosque of Touba in Touba, Senegal, on October 5.

Tourists crowd together in Beijing as they move slowly on a section of the Great Wall of China on October 4. The scene would have been unthinkable just months ago.

Empty chairs are displayed near the White House to represent the American lives lost to Covid-19.

US President Donald Trump arrives at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on October 2. Trump announced on Twitter earlier that day that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for Covid-19. He spent the weekend at Walter Reed and received various treatments.

A paramedic adjusts a patient's face mask outside an Athens, Greece, nursing home where dozens of people tested positive for Covid-19.

The Moncloa bus station in Madrid is deserted after new lockdown measures were imposed in the city. New measures are being introduced in many countries across Europe as a second wave grips the continent.

A student has her temperature checked before entering classes at a school in Thankot, Nepal, on September 30.

A health worker tests a student for Covid-19 after classes started at a college in the Indian village of Jhargaon on September 30.

Medical staff hold swabs for rapid Covid-19 tests at a high school in Rome on September 28.

Medical residents sit in the middle of a street as they protest their working conditions in Barcelona, Spain, on September 28.

Members of the LSU marching band sit apart from one another before a college football game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 26.

A grave digger in Jakarta, Indonesia, plants a cross in a public cemetery, part of which is reserved for suspected Covid-19 victims, on September 26.

A cemetery worker in La Paz, Bolivia, pushes a cart with a plastic-wrapped coffin on September 23.

Carmen Wilke places flags September 22 as part of the Covid Memorial Project, which installed 20,000 American flags on the National Mall in Washington, DC. More than 200,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19.

An adviser waits for people behind a plastic glass screen during a job fair in Barcelona, Spain, on September 21.

A woman watches the band Jikustik during a drive-in concert in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on September 20.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are separated by plastic shields as they pray in a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, on September 18.

A health worker in Hyderabad, India, takes a break in front of a fan on September 17.

Brides and grooms wait for the Pope's arrival at the San Damaso courtyard in the Vatican on September 16.

Maria Hernandez, top, embraces her aunt through a transparent curtain at a nursing home in San Salvador, El Salvador, on September 11.

A coronavirus victim is buried at a cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 8.

Young students make sure they are spread out from one another as they stand in a line before entering a classroom in Pamplona, Spain, on September 7.

A girl cries as she is tested for Covid-19 at a drive-thru testing station in East Jerusalem on September 6.

People wear face masks and sit spread apart at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 2.

Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, wear masks and face shields as they distribute food to the poor and homeless in Kolkata, India, on August 26.

Cemetery workers carry Wilson Gil's remains on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on August 26. Gil died of complications related to Covid-19, according to family members.

Workers in New Delhi prepare to cremate the body of a coronavirus victim on August 22.

A health worker administers a Covid-19 test in the Indian village of Kusumpur on August 17.

People gather in Little Venice on the Aegean Sea island of Mykonos, Greece, on August 16.

Thousands of people gather for an electronic music festival at a water park in Wuhan, China, on August 15. The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan late last year.

Funeral workers in Peru's Uchumayo District bury a coffin in a massive burial ground for low-income people and unidentified victims of Covid-19.

A man receives an injection while taking part in a vaccine trial in Hollywood, Florida, on August 13.

Election officials sort absentee ballots in Atlanta, where there were several runoffs taking place on August 11.

Gravediggers bury a coronavirus victim at the Pondok Ranggon cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10.

Kindergarten students wear face masks and play in screened-in areas at the Wat Khlong Toey School in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 10.

Medics wait to transport a woman with possible Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Austin, Texas, on August 7.

A coronavirus victim is lowered into the ground during her funeral in New Delhi on August 7.

Resident doctors and interns attend a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on August 7. They were protesting the government's plan to expand admissions to medical schools — a policy meant to address a shortage in physicians.

A health worker performs a Covid-19 test at a gymnasium in Navotas, Philippines, on August 6.

A worker disinfects a public school in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 5. The local government has begun preparations for the reopening of schools in early September.

Cemetery workers carry the coffin of a Covid-19 victim at a graveyard in Comas, Peru, on August 5.

An empty Swanston Street is seen in Melbourne's Central Business District on August 5. Australia's second-most populous city has implemented a curfew for the next six weeks.

Elementary school students walk to class in Godley, Texas, on August 5. Three rural school districts in Johnson County were among the first in the state to head back to school for in-person classes.

Poll worker Debra Moore sanitizes her workspace during a primary election in Detroit on August 4.

A stylist from Grey Matter LA cuts a client's hair on a rooftop parking lot in Los Angeles on August 4.

Paul Adamus, 7, waits at the bus stop for his first day of school in Dallas, Georgia, on August 3.

Beds are seen at a temporary field hospital set up in Hong Kong on August 1. AsiaWorld-Expo has been converted into a makeshift hospital that can take up to 500 patients.

Medical workers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, showcase designs during a fashion show of personal protective equipment on August 1. The fashion show was held as a form of gratitude for all medical personnel who have been fighting Covid-19.

A volunteer disinfects a rooftop area in Rio de Janeiro on August 1.

Volunteer health workers disinfect a mosque prior to Eid al-Adha prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 31.

A casket carrying the body of coronavirus victim Lola M. Simmons is placed into a hearse following her funeral service in Dallas on July 30.

Relatives of Covid-19 patients line up to recharge oxygen cylinders in Villa Maria del Triunfo, Peru, on July 29.

People watch the film "The Prestige" from a gondola boat in Venice, Italy, on July 28. Around the world, many films are being shown outside so that people can practice social distancing.

Nurse Kathe Olmstead gives an injection to volunteer Melissa Harting in Binghamton, New York, on July 27. It was part of a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine. The trial is the first to reach Phase 3 in the United States.

A health worker tests a child for Covid-19 at a school in New Delhi on July 27.

Portraits are taped onto seats to help theatergoers spread out in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 27.

The casket of a coronavirus victim is carried from a funeral home in Johannesburg on July 26.

Worshippers of Legio Maria attend a prayer at their church in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 26. Places of worship have reopened in Kenya under strict guidelines.

A casket containing the remains of a coronavirus victim waits to be removed from a mortuary in Soweto, South Africa, on July 24.

Cardboard cutouts of fans are seen in Globe Life Field during a Major League Baseball game in Arlington, Texas, on July 24. The league has resumed for a 60-game abbreviated season, but fans are not allowed to attend.

Commuters wear face masks and face shields while traveling on a public bus in Lima, Peru, on July 22. Peru has mandated masks and shields on public transportation.

Undertakers push the casket of a coronavirus victim during a funeral in Soweto, South Africa, on July 21.

Nurse Gabriel Leyva, second from left, treats a coronavirus patient in Edinburg, Texas, on July 20. Texas is among a string of Southern states grappling with rising coronavirus cases.

A worker measures a man's temperature before allowing him to enter La Vega market in Santiago, Chile, on July 19.

Indigenous nurses in Santarem, Brazil, administer a Covid-19 test on Chief Domingos from the Arapium tribe on July 19.

A restaurant's outdoor seating area is closed in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 18. The city ordered a curfew for most of its entertainment district.

People watch a video projection in Avignon, France, on July 18. Since the Avignon Theatre Festival has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival's organization has been projecting plays that made its history.

Guests arrive at Disney's Epcot park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on July 15. The park was reopening, as was Hollywood Studios, for the first time since March 15.

Doctors from the Palestinian Ministry of Health take blood samples in Hebron, West Bank, on July 15.

Health-care workers and union members demonstrate during a Bastille Day protest in Paris on July 14. France is giving health-care workers a raise for their efforts to fight the novel coronavirus.

Health workers in Mumbai, India, screen residents for Covid-19 symptoms on July 14.

Activist Thomas Kennedy is escorted away by security as he heckles Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a briefing in Miami on July 13. If Florida were a country, it would have ranked No. 9 in the number of Covid-19 cases worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins data that day.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather for a July 13 protest over lockdown measures in Jerusalem.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks with a paramedic during his visit to the headquarters of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust on July 13. Wearing face masks in shops and supermarkets in England will be compulsory from July 24. The United Kingdom is one of the countries worst hit by coronavirus. Its fatalities trail only Brazil and the United States.

Members of the Bungoma County Isolation Team stand by the coffin of Dr. Doreen Lugaliki during her funeral in Ndalu, Kenya, on July 13. Lugaliki, 39, died from complications related to the novel coronavirus.

People play volleyball in Hermosa Beach, California, on July 12. Los Angeles County beaches were reopened after being closed over the Fourth of July weekend. California is one of almost three dozen states in which cases were rising.

The boxed cremated remains of Mexicans who died from Covid-19 are covered before a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on July 11. The ashes were blessed before they were repatriated to Mexico.

US President Donald Trump wears a face mask as he visits Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on July 11. This was the first time since the pandemic began that the White House press corps got a glimpse of Trump with a face covering.

In this handout photo provided by the Walt Disney World Resort, a worker welcomes guests to the Magic Kingdom Park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on July 11. The park's reopening came the same weekend that Florida reached a record high for single-day case count increase.

Health-care workers walk through the Texas Medical Center during a shift change in Houston on July 8. Coronavirus cases have accelerated across much of the South and Southwest in recent weeks. Texas crossed the 200,000-case threshold on July 6 — just 17 days after it had reached 100,000 cases. Harris County, which encompasses Houston and is the most populous county in Texas, led the state in confirmed cases.

Protesters clash with police in front of Serbia's National Assembly building in Belgrade on July 8. People were demonstrating against President Aleksandar Vucic after he announced a weekend-long curfew to try to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.

Firefighters dressed in personal protective equipment prepare to distribute food at a public housing tower in North Melbourne, Australia, on July 7. Metropolitan Melbourne was placed under lockdown amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases.

Cars line up in the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot so drivers could be tested in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 6.

Peruvian migrant Jose Collantes cries as he watches cemetery workers bury his wife, Silvia Cano, in Santiago, Chile, on July 3. She died of coronavirus complications, according to Collantes.

US President Donald Trump speaks at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, on July 3. Social distancing was not observed at the Independence Day celebration, where Trump claimed that 99% of coronavirus cases in America are "totally harmless."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wears a Washington Nationals mask June 30 as he arrives to testify at a Senate committee hearing about the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci issued a stark warning to lawmakers, telling them he wouldn't be surprised if the United States sees new cases of coronavirus rising to a level of 100,000 a day.

A city council worker carries trash from a coronavirus testing center in Leicester, England, on June 29. Schools and stores in the city of Leicester were closing again, with some restrictions being reimposed because of its high infection rate.

A woman walks along a road painted with circles to help people maintain social distancing in Mumbai, India, on June 29.

A member of the bar staff at Murray's Pub serves a pint of Guinness in Dublin, Ireland, on June 29. People in Ireland are tentatively returning to shops, hair salons and restaurants as the country emerges from its coronavirus lockdown.

Agustina Ca?amero and Pascual Pérez kiss each other through a plastic screen at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, on June 22. They've been married for 59 years.

Hugo, 3, has his temperature taken by a teacher as he arrives at kindergarten in Barcelona on June 26.

A beach is slammed with people in Bournemouth, England, during a heat wave on June 25. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson began easing coronavirus restrictions in May, but people are still supposed to be distancing themselves from one another. After thousands flocked to beaches, officials in southern England declared a "major incident."

Mannequins sit at the Elpaso Bar in Ankara, Turkey, to make customers observe social distancing on June 24. The bar reopened after being closed for weeks.

A ceremonial soldier wears a face mask during Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow on June 24. A major celebration was originally planned to take place in May, with world leaders invited to attend, but it was postponed by the Kremlin after veterans organizations voiced concerns about the health risks such an event might pose amid the coronavirus crisis.

Health-care workers prepare to conduct Covid-19 testing in Mumbai, India, on June 23.

Graves are seen at the General Cemetery in Santiago, Chile, on June 23. Chile is among the Latin American countries hardest hit by the coronavirus.

Malia Pena and her mother, Lisa Torriente, wear masks as they visit the beach in Santa Monica, California, on June 23. California was among 25 states that had recorded higher rates of new cases compared to the previous week.

People worship at the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 23. Saudi Arabia has announced it will hold a "very limited" Hajj celebration this year.

A man has his throat swabbed June 17 at a Covid-19 testing site for those who were potentially exposed to the coronavirus at a wholesale food market in Beijing. For 55 days, the Chinese capital had not reported any locally transmitted infections, but a fresh cluster of coronavirus cases emerged from a sprawling wholesale food market in the city, infecting more than 180 people as of June 19.

People are spread out as former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee, speaks in Darby, Pennsylvania, on June 17.

A firefighter in Chennai, India, sprays disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus on June 11, 2020.

The sun sets over a cemetery for coronavirus victims near Najaf, Iraq.

A woman is sprayed with disinfectant before entering a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 9, 2020.

Teachers in Barcelona, Spain, try to prevent a hug between 6-year-olds Wendy Otin and Oumou Salam Niang as they meet on the first day of school following a lockdown.

Isidre Correa, who is recovering from the coronavirus, is taken to the seaside in Barcelona, Spain, on June 3, 2020. Hospital del Mar has been taking patients to the seaside as part of the recovery process.

Dealers wear masks just before the reopening of the D Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Government health workers test a resident on the Brazilian island of Marajo on June 1, 2020.

Workers spray disinfectant inside a movie theater in Bangkok, Thailand, ahead of its reopening on May 31, 2020.

People try out social-distancing "bumper tables" as the Fish Tales restaurant opened for in-person dining in Ocean City, Maryland, on May 29, 2020.

People carry the coffin of a suspected coronavirus victim at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on May 28, 2020.

Shaandiin P. Parrish, Miss Navajo Nation, helps distribute food and other supplies to Navajo families in Counselor, New Mexico. Navajo Nation has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Commuters crowd a train station in Tokyo during the morning rush hour on May 26, 2020.

Students take their spring exams at the Vallhall Sports Arena in Oslo, Norway, on May 26, 2020.

Preschool students wait to wash their hands before class in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on May 25, 2020. The country became one of the first in West Africa to restart lessons after a two-month coronavirus shutdown.

A security official stands guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as delegates leave the second plenary session of the National People's Congress.

Olivia Grant, right, hugs her grandmother, Mary Grace Sileo, through a plastic drop cloth that was hung up on a homemade clothesline in Wantagh, New York.

Brian Carabine, a retired US Marine, replaces flags at the South End Cemetery in East Hampton, New York, just before Memorial Day in 2020.

High school graduates turn their tassels during a drive-thru graduation ceremony at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This aerial photo shows gravediggers working at the Vila Formosa Cemetery, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 22, 2020. The coronavirus was surging in Brazil, the hardest-hit country in Latin America.

Workers wear protective gear as they start a cremation oven in Ecatepec, Mexico.

A health worker wears a face shield while checking a patient's temperature at a hospital in Toluca, Mexico, on May 21, 2020. Mexico had reported its highest number of new daily cases.

People lower the coffin of a woman who died from the coronavirus in Srinagar, India.

Cardboard cutouts of soccer fans are seen at the Borussia-Park stadium in M?nchengladbach, Germany. The Bundesliga, Germany's top pro soccer league, became the first major European competition to return amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Levi Tinker, resident historian and general manager of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, makes an announcement inside the theater's empty auditorium on May 18, 2020. It was the theater's 93rd birthday celebration.

People practice social distancing in New York's Domino Park on May 17, 2020.

Nurses in Nairobi, Kenya, take part in a Zumba fitness class in the parking lot of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.

Kevin Harvick celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series race in Darlington, South Carolina, on May 17, 2020. It was NASCAR's first race since its season was halted because of the pandemic. No fans were in attendance.

Angelino, a professional soccer player with the German club RB Leipzig, takes a corner kick during a Bundesliga match against Freiburg on May 16, 2020. The stadium was nearly empty, as no more than 322 people were able to attend each Bundesliga match until the end of the season.

Mary Faye Cochran sings "You Are My Sunshine" to her son Stacey Smith from her senior-living facility in Smyrna, Georgia, on May 10, 2020. It was Mother's Day in the United States.

Pope Francis delivers a blessing from the window of his studio overlooking an empty St. Peter's Square.

The San Isidro cemetery in Mexico City, which was temporarily closed to the public to limit the spread of Covid-19, is seen in this aerial photo taken on May 10, 2020.

Mary Washington speaks through a window to her daughter Courtney Crosby and grandchild Sydney Crosby during a Mother's Day celebration at her senior-living facility in Smyrna, Georgia.

A Briarcliff High School student participates in a parade of graduating seniors through Briarcliff Manor, New York, on May 9, 2020.

People wear face masks while watching a Victory Day military parade in Minsk, Belarus, on May 9, 2020. The parade marked the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

A man rides past social-distancing markers in front of a shop in Brussels, Belgium.

A man pauses as he places the casket of a relative into a van at a busy New York funeral home.

Health-care workers wait for citizens to arrive at the Anna International Airport in Chennai, India. People were arriving in Chennai from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A man wearing a face mask cycles through Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan, on May 8, 2020. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan would extend its state of emergency until the end of May.

American citizens who were stranded in Syria due to the pandemic arrive at the Lebanese border on their way to the Beirut airport, where they would be leaving for the United States.

During a protest in Washington, members of National Nurses United stand among empty shoes that they say represent nurses who have died from Covid-19.

A worker helps disinfect a subway train in New York on May 6, 2020. The subway syatem was shut down for a deep-cleaning.

High school students study in a classroom in Wuhan, China, as they returned to school on May 6, 2020.

A nursery is disinfected in Cannes, France.

Refrigerated trucks are seen at a morgue that opened in New York to assist overwhelmed funeral homes.

Migrant workers in New Delhi walk toward the Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminus after learning that the government was preparing to send migrant workers back to their home states during a lockdown. In March 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all states to seal their borders to stop the coronavirus from being imported into rural areas.

People exercise on a seafront promenade in Barcelona, Spain, on May 2, 2020. Spaniards filled the country's streets to work out for the first time after seven weeks of confinement in their homes.

Michigan state police prevent protesters from entering the chamber of the Michigan House of Representatives on April 30, 2020. The protesters were unhappy with the state's stay-at-home order. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently extended the order through May 15, though restrictions were relaxed so some businesses could reopen.

This aerial photo shows surfers accessing Sydney's Tamarama Beach on April 29, 2020. Several Sydney beaches reopened for exercise only.

US Vice President Mike Pence visits Dennis Nelson, a patient who survived the coronavirus and was going to give blood, during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on April 28, 2020. Pence chose not to wear a face mask during the tour despite the facility's policy that's been in place since April 13. Pence told reporters that he wasn't wearing a mask because he's often tested for coronavirus.

A barber wears protective equipment as he cuts a customer's hair in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After recovering from the coronavirus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on April 27, 2020.

Health workers at a coronavirus testing center in New Delhi attend to a colleague who fainted due to exhaustion on April 27, 2020.

Families walk along a boulevard in Barcelona, Spain, on April 26, 2020.

A muezzin, the person at a mosque who calls Muslims to daily prayers, reads the Quran at a mosque in Gaza City after Ramadan began on April 24, 2020.

Pitrik van der Lubbe waves from a boom lift to his 88-year-old father, Henk, at his father's nursing home in Gouda, Netherlands. Pitrik had not seen his father in more than four weeks.

Protesters shout slogans against Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salamé as they block Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 23, 2020. Anti-government protesters were demonstrating in Beirut as they continued to endure one of the country's worst-ever economic crises.

A boy plays hopscotch at his home in A Coruna, Spain.

Omar Rodriguez organizes caskets at the Gerard Neufeld Funeral Home in New York. The funeral home in Queens was overwhelmed by the pandemic.

A dentist wears protective equipment while treating a patient in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

Biology teachers prepare to hold an exam at a secondary school in Berlin on April 22, 2020.

A volunteer in Yangon, Myanmar, spreads calcium oxide on a road to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus on April 22, 2020.

Migrants wave from balconies at a hotel in Kranidi, Greece, on April 21, 2020. The shelter, which hosts 470 asylum seekers, was placed in isolation after a pregnant resident tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

A man disinfects a ceiling lamp at the ?obanija Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A nurse holds a newborn baby, wearing a face shield as a protective measure, at a maternity facility in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Health workers at Madrid's La Paz Hospital hold a minute of silence to remember Joaquin Diaz, the hospital's chief of surgery who died because of the coronavirus.

A woman applauds from the balcony of her Paris home to show support for health care workers on April 20, 2020.

A health-care worker stands in a Denver street to counterprotest the hundreds of people who were demanding that stay-at-home orders be lifted.

Mayor's office workers wear protective suits as they conduct a census in a Bogota, Colombia, neighborhood on April 19, 2020. They were trying to find out how many families needed to be provided with food.

The class of 2020 tosses hats into the air at the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A woman sticks her tongue out of a torn mask at a Reopen Maryland rally outside the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 18, 2020. Residents in multiple states were protesting stay-at-home orders.

Newly married Tyler and Caryn Suiters embrace following their marriage ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on April 18, 2020. The Rev. Andrew Merrow and his wife, Cameron, were the only other attendees at the ceremony, which was held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

Abed Khankan cuts a customer's hair outdoors in Malmo, Sweden.

Two women walk to rent a small paddle boat by the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 17, 2020.

Cars sit at a newly opened drive-in cinema in Dortmund, Germany, on April 17, 2020. It was in front of a former blast furnace.

Funeral workers in Manaus, Brazil, prepare the grave of a woman who was suspected to have died from the coronavirus.

A member of the Don Bosco Foundation delivers food from the Fraternitas Project, which serves vulnerable families in Seville, Spain.

Police officers?try on personal protective equipment in Amritsar, India.

Workers in Nairobi, Kenya, fumigate the streets and the stalls of the City Park Market.

Novice Buddhist monks wear face shields at the Molilokayaram Educational Institute in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 15, 2020.

A woman sits on a bench at an empty metro station in Prague, Czech Republic.

Health workers in Barcelona, Spain, acknowledge people who were showing their support from their balconies and windows.

South Korean election officials sort out parliamentary ballots at a gymnasium in Seoul on April 15, 2020.

Workers from the garment sector in Dhaka, Bangladesh, block a road during a protest demanding payment of unpaid wages.

A woman meets with her son in a "Quarantainer," a container devised to allow people to visit each other without risking the spread of coronavirus, at a care center in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Firefighters transfer a patient from an ambulance in Montpelier, France, on April 14, 2020.

A cemetery worker pauses while digging graves at the San Vicente cemetery in Cordoba, Argentina.

Workers produce protective face masks at a new factory near Tehran, Iran, on April 14, 2020.

Protesters stand outside the Statehouse Atrium in Columbus, Ohio, to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders. About 100 protesters assembled outside the building during Gov. Mike DeWine's weekday update on the state's response to the pandemic.

Medical workers in Istanbul clap for 107-year-old Havahan Karadeniz as she is discharged from the hospital on April 13, 2020. She had just recovered from the coronavirus.

People in Seoul, South Korea, listen to a speech from Hwang Kyo-ahn, who was campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

A flower shop employee destroys unsold flowers in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 13, 2020.

A police officer requests that people return to return to their homes during a gathering that marked the Bisket Jatra festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

A doctor in a protective chamber tests a patient for coronavirus at a walk-in kiosk in Chennai, India.

Musicians play their instruments for a retirement home in Karben, Germany.

A woman covers herself with plastic as heavy rain falls outside a New York hospital on April 13, 2020.

People in Jerusalem attend the funeral of Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, Israel's former chief rabbi who died from coronavirus complications.

In Rio de Janeiro, the Christ the Redeemer statue was illuminated to make Christ look like a doctor on April 12, 2020.

Pedro Opeka, founder of the Akamasoa Association, conducts the traditional Easter Mass in a granite quarry while maintaining social distancing in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Bodies are stored in a vacant room at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. Two sources told CNN that at least one room, which is typically used for studies on sleeping habits, was used to store bodies because the morgue was full and morgue staff did not work at night.

A couple stands in a park along the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China.

Priest-in-charge Angie Smith uses her phone to broadcast an Easter service from a churchyard in Hartley Wintney, England.

Children wave to a person dressed as the Easter Bunny during a neighborhood parade in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 2020.

Health workers in Leganes, Spain, cry during a memorial for a co-worker who died because of the coronavirus.

Volunteers spray disinfectant in a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

Bodies are buried on New York's Hart Island on April 9, 2020. New York City officials said that Hart Island, which for decades has been used as the final resting place for people who died unclaimed, would also be used for unclaimed coronavirus victims.

A health care worker holds the hand of a coronavirus patient being moved at a hospital near Barcelona, Spain.

Service boats spray water in London to show support for health care workers on April 9, 2020.

Employees of Hyundai Card, a credit card company, sit behind protective screens as they eat in an office cafeteria in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9, 2020.

People wait in their cars for the San Antonio Food Bank to begin food distribution on April 9, 2020.

A worker disinfects a carved cross at the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colombia, on April 8, 2020.

A cake shop employee in Athens, Greece, prepares chocolate Easter bunnies with face masks on April 8, 2020.

Californians Sarah and Aaron Sanders, along with their children, use video conferencing to celebrate a Passover Seder with other family members.

A medical staff member from China's Jilin province, center, cries while hugging nurses from Wuhan on April 8, 2020. Wuhan was reopening its borders after 76 days.

Cars in Wuhan line up to leave at a highway toll station.

Rabbi Yaakov Kotlarsky places Passover Seder to-go packages into a car trunk in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

A woman in London shows her support for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 7, 2020. Johnson was hospitalized after his coronavirus symptoms "worsened," according to his office.

A voter checks in to cast a ballot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020. The state was going through with its presidential primary despite the pandemic.

A man is sprayed with disinfectant prior to going to a market in Tirana, Albania.

Izzie, left, and Tippi wear ventilated dog masks in Philadelphia.

People wait in line to bury loved ones at a cemetery in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on April 6, 2020. In some parts of the overwhelmed city, bodies had been left on the streets.

Police detain a doctor in Quetta, Pakistan, who was among dozens of health care workers protesting a lack of personal protective equipment.

A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water on devotees during Palm Sunday celebrations in Quezon City, Philippines, on April 5, 2020.

People shine lights from their balcony during a nationwide candlelight vigil in Bangalore, India, on April 5, 2020.

A woman in Glasgow, Scotland, watches Britain's Queen Elizabeth II give a television address regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Paramilitary members unload provisions in Kampala, Uganda, on April 4, 2020. It was the first day of government food distribution for people affected by the nation's lockdown.

A police officer wearing a coronavirus-themed outfit walks in a market in Chennai, India, to raise awareness about social distancing.

A woman in Moscow cooks while watching Russian President Vladimir Putin address the nation over the coronavirus pandemic.

The hashtag "stayhome" is projected onto the Matterhorn mountain that straddles Switzerland and Italy on April 1, 2020. The mountain was illuminated by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter, who was transforming buildings, monuments and landscapes all over the world to raise awareness during the pandemic.

Volunteers load food bags on a truck to deliver them to low-income families in Panama City, Panama, on April 1, 2020.

Designer Friederike Jorzig adjusts a mannequin wearing a wedding dress and a face mask at her store in Berlin on March 31, 2020.

People pray next to the grave of musician Robson de Souza Lopes after his burial in Manaus, Brazil, on March 31, 2020. According to authorities at the Amazonas Health Secretary, the 43-year-old died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Chris Lyndberg hands out a free lunch to a truck driver at a rest area along Interstate 10 in Sacaton, Arizona, on March 31, 2020. The Arizona Trucking Association was giving away 500 Dilly's Deli lunches to show its appreciation for truck drivers who have been delivering medical supplies, food and other necessities during the coronavirus pandemic.

The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, reaches New York City on March 30, 2020. Another hospital ship was in Los Angeles to take some of the pressure off medical facilities that were strained because of the pandemic.

An emergency field hospital is constructed in New York's Central Park on March 30, 2020.

Farmers deliver vegetables to a customer in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, France, on March 29, 2020.

People listen from their homes as priests conduct Sunday mass from a church roof in Rome on March 29, 2020.

Gyorgy David Jablonovszky and his bride, Timea, are joined by close relatives during their wedding ceremony in Miskolc, Hungary, on March 28, 2020. Because of the coronavirus, engaged couples across the globe have had to rethink their walks down the aisle.

A worker fixes partitions at a quarantine center in Guwahati, India, on March 28, 2020.

Devices used in diagnosing the coronavirus are inspected in Cheongju, South Korea, on March 27, 2020. The devices were being prepared for testing kits at the bio-diagnostic company SD Biosensor.

A student does homework in Bratislava, Slovakia, on March 27, 2020. Schools were shut down across the world, and many children have been receiving their lessons online.

A National Guard truck sprays disinfectant in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 27, 2020.

People wearing face masks walk near the USNS Mercy after the Navy hospital ship arrived in the Los Angeles area to assist local hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope Francis prays in an empty St. Peter's Square on March 27, 2020.

Coffins carrying coronavirus victims are stored in a warehouse in Ponte San Pietro, Italy, on March 26, 2020. They would be transported to another area for cremation.

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard prepare to take part in disinfecting the city of Tehran on March 25, 2020.

Lydia Hassebroek attends a ballet class from her home in New York on March 25, 2020.

People visit the Beijing Zoo after it reopened its outdoor exhibits to the public.

The Olympic flame is displayed in Iwaki, Japan, a day after the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed.

A woman suspected of having coronavirus is helped from her home by emergency medical technicians Robert Sabia, left, and Mike Pareja, in Paterson, New Jersey.

People practice social distancing as they wait for takeout food at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 24, 2020.

Authorities are seen in Madrid, where an ice rink was converted into a makeshift morgue to cope with the coronavirus fallout.

A tourist wears a face mask while visiting the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China on March 24, 2020. The section reopened to visitors after being closed for two months.

People arrive at the South Municipal Cemetery in Madrid to attend the burial of a man who died from the coronavirus.

Passengers arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on March 23, 2020.

Giuseppe Corbari holds Sunday Mass in front of photographs sent in by his congregation members in Giussano, Italy. Many religious services are being streamed online so that people can worship while still maintaining their distance from others.

People clap from balconies to show their appreciation for health care workers in Mumbai, India.

A woman attends a Sunday service at the Nairobi Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 22, 2020. The service was streamed live on the internet.

A Syrian Red Crescent member sprays disinfectant along an alley of the historic Hamidiyah market in Damascus, Syria.

People are seen on California's Huntington Beach on March 21, 2020. Crowds descended on California beaches, hiking trails and parks over the weekend in open defiance of a state order to shelter in place and avoid close contact with others.

A funeral service is held without family members in Bergamo, Italy, on March 21, 2020.

A member of the Syrian Violet relief group disinfects tents at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Jalis, Syria, on March 21, 2020.

A doctor examines Juan Vasquez inside a testing tent at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York.

A Mass in Rio de Janeiro honors coronavirus victims around the world on March 18, 2020. Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up with flags and messages of hope in solidarity with countries affected by the pandemic.

Medical staff wearing protective suits ride down an escalator at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on March 18, 2020.

Hasidic Jewish men take part in a "social distancing" minyan in New York on March 17, 2020.

A patient in a biocontainment unit is carried on a stretcher in Rome on March 17, 2020.

A pedestrian walks a dog through a quiet street in New York on March 17, 2020.

People gather to collect free face masks in New Delhi on March 17, 2020.

Dermot Hickey, left, and Phillip Vega ask a pedestrian in New York to take their picture on a thinly trafficked Fifth Avenue. Many streets across the world were much more bare as people distanced themselves from others. In the United States, the White House advised people not to gather in groups of more than 10.

Students at the Attarkiah Islamic School wear face masks during a ceremony in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat.

People wait outside a Woolworths store in Sunbury, Australia, on March 17, 2020. Australian supermarket chains announced special shopping hours for the elderly and people with disabilities so that they could shop in less crowded aisles.

A member of Spain's Military Emergencies Unit carries out a general disinfection at the Malaga airport.

Displaced families near Atme, Syria, attend a workshop aimed at spreading awareness about the coronavirus.

French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a screen in Paris as he announces new coronavirus containment measures on March 16, 2020. France was put on lockdown, and all nonessential outings were outlawed. Macron also promised to support French businesses by guaranteeing €300 billion worth of loans and suspending rent and utility bills owed by small companies.

A police officer checks the temperatures of bus passengers at a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines.

Flowers are stored prior to their destruction at a flower auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands. Lower demand threatened the Dutch horticultural sector, forcing the destruction of products.

Body temperatures are scanned as people enter the Buddhist temple Wat Pho in Bangkok, Thailand.

Two nuns greet neighbors from their balcony in Turin, Italy, on March 15, 2020.

Pope Francis, inside the Church of San Marcello in Rome's city center, prays at a famous crucifix that believers claim helped to save Romans from the plague in 1522.

Passengers wait for their flights at Marrakesh Airport in Morocco on March 15, 2020.

US Vice President Mike Pence takes a question during a White House briefing about the coronavirus.

A Sea World employee sprays disinfectant in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 14, 2020.

People wait in line to go through customs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on March 14, 2020. Travelers returning from Europe said they were being made to wait for hours at US airports, often in close quarters, as personnel screened them for the coronavirus.

Hundreds of people line up to enter a Costco in Novato, California, on March 14, 2020. Many people were stocking up on food, toilet paper and other items. As a response to panic buying, retailers in the United States and Canada started limiting the number of toilet paper that customers could buy in one trip.

A member of the White House physician's office takes a media member's temperature in the White House briefing room. It was ahead of a news conference with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

A nurse in Cremona, Italy, takes a moment in this heartbreaking photo posted to Instagram by photographer Paolo Miranda. Italy's health care system has been severely tested by the coronavirus pandemic.

Reporters in Arlington, Virginia, sit approximately 4 feet apart during a briefing by Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie on March 13, 2020.

People walk past a closed Broadway theater after New York canceled all gatherings over 500 people.

A Costco customer stands by two shopping carts in Richmond, California, on March 13, 2020.

A teacher works in an empty classroom at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

A woman looks at an empty bread aisle in Antwerp, Belgium, on March 13, 2020.

Employees of the Greek Parliament wear plastic gloves ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

A motorcyclist drives through disinfectant sprayed in Jammu, India, on March 13, 2020.

Workers prepare to construct an additional building on a hospital on the outskirts of Moscow.

Paul Boyer, head equipment manager of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, wheels out equipment bags in Washington on March 12, 2020. The NHL was among the sports leagues that had suspended their seasons.

Students leave Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, on March 12, 2020. Beginning the following day, schools in the Snohomish school district planned to be closed through April 24.

An Uber Eats delivery biker stands at a deserted Piazza di Spagna in Rome.

People at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, watch a live broadcast of US President Donald Trump on March 12, 2020. Trump announced that, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, he would sharply restrict travel from more than two dozen European countries.

Workers in protective suits disinfect Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace on March 11, 2020.

A person wearing a face mask walks outside of a shopping mall in Beijing on March 11, 2020.

Police officers restrain the relative of an inmate outside the Sant'Anna jail in Modena, Italy, on March 9, 2020. Riots broke out in several Italian jails after visits were suspended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Medical staff in Wuhan, China, celebrate after all coronavirus patients were discharged from a temporary hospital on March 9, 2020.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 9, 2020. Stocks plummeted as coronavirus worries and an oil price race to the bottom weighed on global financial markets.

Rescuers search for victims at the site of a collapsed hotel in Quanzhou, China, on March 8, 2020. The hotel was being used as a coronavirus quarantine center.

The Grand Princess cruise ship, carrying at least 21 people who tested positive for coronavirus, is seen off the coast of San Francisco on March 8, 2020. The ship was being held at sea.

Sumo wrestlers attend a tournament in Osaka, Japan, that was being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

A couple rides a bicycle at a park in Seoul, South Korea, on March 7, 2020.

A volunteer from Blue Sky Rescue uses fumigation equipment to disinfect a residential compound in Beijing on March 5, 2020.

Airmen from the California National Guard drop coronavirus testing kits down to the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California on March 5, 2020.

Municipal workers are seen at the Kaaba, inside Mecca's Grand Mosque. Saudi Arabia emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilization over coronavirus fears, an unprecedented move after the kingdom suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage.

Passengers react as a worker wearing a protective suit disinfects the departure area of a railway station in Hefei, China, on March 4, 2020.

Teachers at the Nagoya International School in Japan conduct an online class for students staying at home as a precaution.

Soldiers spray disinfectant throughout a shopping street in Seoul.

A Muslim worshipper attends a mass prayer against coronavirus in Dakar, Senegal.

People wear face masks in New York's Times Square on March 3, 2020. New York reported its first case of coronavirus two days earlier.

A security guard stands on the Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo on March 3, 2020.

US President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaks during a meeting with pharmaceutical executives and the White House coronavirus task force on March 2, 2020. Throughout the meeting, Trump was hyperfocused on pressing industry leaders in the room for a timeline for a coronavirus vaccine and treatment. But experts at the table -- from the administration and the pharmaceutical industry -- repeatedly emphasized that a vaccine can't be rushed to market before it's been declared safe for the public.

Medical staff stand outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 1, 2020.

Health care workers transfer a patient at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, on March 1, 2020. The long-term care facility was linked to confirmed coronavirus cases.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a London laboratory of the Public Health England National Infection Service.

Tomoyuki Sugano, a professional baseball player on the Yomiuri Giants, throws a pitch in an empty Tokyo Dome during a preseason game on February 29, 2020. Fans were barred from preseason games to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Commuters wearing masks make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo.

Medical staff transport a coronavirus patient within the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 28, 2020.

Inter Milan plays Ludogorets in an empty soccer stadium in Milan, Italy, on February 27, 2020. The match was ordered to be played behind closed doors as Italian authorities continued to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak.

A bank clerk disinfects banknotes in China's Sichuan province on February 26, 2020.

A child wearing a protective face mask rides on a scooter in an empty area in Beijing.

A Catholic devotee wears a face mask as he is sprinkled with ash during Ash Wednesday services in Paranaque, Philippines, on February 26, 2020.

People disinfect Qom's Masumeh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on February 25, 2020.

A worker in Daegu, South Korea, stacks plastic buckets containing medical waste from coronavirus patients.

Paramedics carry a stretcher off an ambulance in Hong Kong on February 23, 2020.

People attend a professional soccer match in Kobe, Japan, on February 23, 2020. To help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the soccer club Vissel Kobe told fans not to sing, chant or wave flags in the season opener against Yokohama FC.

A team of volunteers disinfects a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok, Thailand.

A man rides his bike in Beijing on February 23, 2020.

Hospital personnel in Codogno, Italy, carry new beds inside the hospital on February 21, 2020. The hospital was hosting some people who had been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Doctors look at a CT scan of a lung at a hospital in Xiaogan, China, on February 20, 2020.

A sales clerk wears a mask as she waits for customers at a hat shop in Beijing on February 18, 2020.

Buses carrying American passengers arrive at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo on February 17, 2020. The passengers were leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship to be repatriated to the United States.

A medical worker rests at the isolation ward of the Red Cross hospital in Wuhan on February 16, 2020.

Authorities watch as the Westerdam cruise ship approaches a port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on February 13, 2020. Despite having no confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, the Westerdam was refused port by four other Asian countries before being allowed to dock in Cambodia.

A worker has his temperature checked on a shuttered commercial street in Beijing on February 12, 2020.

Beds are made in the Wuhan Sports Center, which was converted into a temporary hospital.

A child rides a scooter past a police officer wearing protective gear outside the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong. More than 100 people evacuated the housing block after four residents in two different apartments tested positive for the coronavirus.

Relatives of quarantined passengers wave at the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it leaves a port in Yokohama, Japan, to dump wastewater and generate potable water. Dozens of people on the ship were infected with coronavirus.

The Deneway branch of the County Oak Medical Centre is closed amid coronavirus fears in Brighton, England, on February 11, 2020. Several locations in and around Brighton were quarantined after a man linked to several coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom came into contact with health-care workers and members of the public.

A police officer, left, wears protective gear as he guards a cordon at the Hong Mei House in Hong Kong on February 11, 2020.

A worker wears a protective suit as he waits to screen people entering an office building in Beijing. China's workforce was slowly coming back to work after the coronavirus outbreak forced many parts of the country to extend the Lunar New Year holiday by more than a week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has his temperature checked during an appearance in Beijing on February 10, 2020.

Photojournalists wearing face masks take photos of a bus carrying passengers after they disembarked from the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong on February 9, 2020. More than 5,300 people were quarantined on two cruise ships off Hong Kong and Japan.

People participating in a Lunar New Year Parade in New York City hold signs reading, "Wuhan stay strong!" on February 9, 2020.

A shopper walks past empty shelves at a grocery store in Hong Kong on February 9, 2020. China's Ministry of Commerce encouraged supermarkets and grocery stores to resume operations as the country's voluntary or mandatory quarantines began to take an economic toll.

A worker wearing a protective suit uses a machine to disinfect a business establishment in Shanghai, China, on February 9, 2020.

Workers in protective gear walk near the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan.

People in Hong Kong attend a vigil for whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang. Li, 34, died in Wuhan after contracting the virus while treating a patient.

A woman grieves while paying tribute to Li at Li's hospital in Wuhan.

The Anthem of the Seas cruise ship is seen docked at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on February 7, 2020. Passengers were to be screened for coronavirus as a precaution, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told CNN.

A light installation is displayed by striking members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance and other activists at the Hospital Authority building in Hong Kong.

Passengers are seen on the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at the Yokohama Port on February 7, 2020.

Flight attendants wearing face masks make their way through the Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on February 7, 2020.

Workers check sterile medical gloves at a latex-product manufacturer in Nanjing, China, on February 6, 2020.

A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a Beijing market on February 6, 2020.

This aerial photo shows the Leishenshan Hospital that was being built in Wuhan to handle coronavirus patients.

A passenger shows a note from the World Dream cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong.

A mask is seen on a statue in Beijing on February 5, 2020.

An ambulance stops at a traffic light in front of the Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macao. The virus turned China's gambling mecca into a ghost town.

A dog in Beijing wears a makeshift mask constructed from a paper cup.

Striking hospital workers in Hong Kong demand the closure of the border with mainland China on February 4, 2020.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship sits anchored in quarantine off the port of Yokohama on February 4, 2020. It arrived a day earlier with passengers feeling ill.

A medical worker wearing protective gear waits to take the temperature of people entering Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong.

Medical workers in protective suits help transfer patients to a newly completed field hospital in Wuhan.

People wearing protective overalls talk outside a Wuhan hotel housing people in isolation on February 3, 2020.

A man stands in front of TV screens broadcasting a speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on February 3, 2020. Lam said the city would shut almost all border-control points to the mainland.

A colleague sprays disinfectant on a doctor in Wuhan on February 3, 2020.

Commuters in Tokyo walk past an electric board displaying dismal stock prices on February 3, 2020, the first business day after the Chinese New Year. Asia's markets recorded their worst day in years as investors finally got a chance to react to the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

Medical workers move a coronavirus patient into an isolation ward at the Second People's Hospital in Fuyang, China, on February 1, 2020.

Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift masks while waiting to check in to a flight at the Beijing Capital Airport on January 30, 2020.

Passengers in Hong Kong wear protective masks as they wait to board a train at Lo Wu Station, near the mainland border.

A volunteer wearing protective clothing disinfects a street in Qingdao, China, on January 29, 2020.

Nanning, China, residents line up to buy face masks from a medical appliance store on January 29, 2020.

Lyu Jun, left, a member of a medical team leaving for Wuhan, says goodbye to a loved one in Urumqi, China, on January 28, 2020.

A charter flight from Wuhan arrives at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 28, 2020. The US government chartered the plane to bring home US citizens and diplomats from the American consulate in Wuhan.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in wears a mask to inspect the National Medical Center in Seoul on January 28, 2020.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, center, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on January 28, 2020. Lam said China would stop individual travelers to Hong Kong while closing some border checkpoints and restricting flights and train services from the mainland.

Workers at an airport in Novosibirsk, Russia, check the temperatures of passengers who arrived from Beijing on January 28, 2020.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a news conference about the American public-health response.

Two residents walk in an empty park in Wuhan on January 27, 2020. The city remained on lockdown for a fourth day.

A person wears a protective mask, goggles and coat as he stands in a nearly empty street in Beijing on January 26, 2020.

Medical staff members bring a patient to the Wuhan Red Cross hospital on January 25, 2020.

People wear protective masks as they walk under Lunar New Year decorations in Beijing on January 25, 2020.

Construction workers in Wuhan begin to work on a special hospital to deal with the outbreak.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks to reporters about a patient in Chicago who had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The patient was the second in the United States to be diagnosed with the illness.

A couple kisses goodbye as they travel for the Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing on January 24, 2020.

Workers manufacture protective face masks at a factory in China's Hubei Province on January 23, 2020.

Shoppers wear masks in a Wuhan market on January 23, 2020.

Passengers are checked by a thermography device at an airport in Osaka, Japan, on January 23, 2020.

People wear masks while shopping for vegetables in Wuhan on January 23, 2020.

A militia member checks the body temperature of a driver in Wuhan on January 23, 2020.

Passengers wear masks as they arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on January 23, 2020.

A customer holds boxes of particulate respirators at a pharmacy in Hong Kong on January 23, 2020.

Passengers wear masks at a high-speed train station in Hong Kong on January 23, 2020.

A woman rides an electric bicycle in Wuhan on January 22, 2020.

People in Guangzhou, China, wear protective masks on January 22, 2020.

People go through a checkpoint in Guangzhou on January 22, 2020.

Medical staff of Wuhan's Union Hospital attend a gathering on January 22, 2020.

Health officials hold a news conference in Beijing on January 22, 2020.

In pictures: The coronavirus pandemic

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Even if a patient dies in hospital, not all hospitals are covered by the Health Ministry’s medical certification of cause of death (MCCD) web portal – meaning the cause of death isn’t logged in the national database, saidShewade. Even hospitals that are covered in the MCCD face other issues in data like errors or missing information.

These problems are even more pronounced in rural parts of the country.

“In Delhi, only 63% of deaths get cause of death certification. This is the capital,” Shewade said. “Imagine when you go away, to Uttar Pradesh, to Bihar, to Jharkhand, where only 35% of deaths get registered – forget certification of cause of death.”

In short, if you die, your death may not get logged in the system. And even if it is, it likely won’t get a cause of death, and so won’t be included in the Covid death toll.

India isn’t counting all Covid deaths

There’s also the issue of undercounting Covid deaths due to insufficient testing and poor medical coding.

“The deaths are certainly being undercounted because a lot of people who die without getting a Covid test aren’t counted as Covid deaths,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, a senior research scholar at Princeton University. “So it’s unclear if India has a lower mortality rate than other countries in the region.”

A health worker screens people for Covid-19 symptoms at Dharavi, one of Asia's biggest slums, in Mumbai, India.

Related article More than half of Mumbai's slum residents might have had Covid-19. Here's why herd immunity could still be a long way off

India has stepped up its testing, almost doubling the amount of tests conducted during the month of August – but it still has one of the lowest rates of testing per capita in the world. Only about 1 out of every 100,000 people is being tested per day, according to Johns Hopkins University – compared to about 150 in the US and 156 in Australia.

Antibody tests suggest that India may be undercounting infections by a factor 50 to 100, Laxminarayan said – meaning that although the country’s official total is 4.4 million cases, the “true” number could be upwards of 100 million.

And even if a Covid-19 patient tested positive before dying, they might not be counted as a Covid-19 death if they had other preexisting conditions, such as diabetes or cancer, said Shewade, as these could be recorded as the cause of death.

The rise in testing creates a misleading death rate

India’s recent increase in testing could also end up skewing the mortality rate.

With more tests, authorities are detecting more cases, which is partially why case figures have been surging. But the mortality rate is measured against the number of total confirmed cases – so when cases rise, the rate will go down even if the number of deaths remains the same.

In short, even if the mortality rate is declining, it doesn’t necessarily mean the number of deaths is dropping. In fact, they’re actually increasing – deaths have jumped from around 750 a day at the start of August, to more than 1,000 a day this week.

So how many Covid deaths does India actually have?

India’s long, complex death verification means we likely won’t know the true Covid-19 death toll for some time.

The country is so huge that gathering figures on births and deaths is a mammoth task which involves local, district and state departments – in some cases, going door to door in sample areas to verify data, said Shewade.

The process is so time-consuming that the government’s latest nationwide report on births and deaths, which is supposed to come out annually, is from 2018. It might take years to get the full 2020 data.

Related article India now has more than 1 million coronavirus cases. What does that mean -- and how did the country get here?

Until then, while India’s mortality rate may be lower than in the US or countries in Western Europe, Laxminarayan said that doesn’t mean people should stop taking precautions.

“If you talk about 2% case fatality rates, that’s still incredibly high,” Shewade said. “That’s a 1 in 50 chance of dying from a disease for which you’ve been tested positive, which I think is an unacceptable risk for most people.”