AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Srinagar, July 16, 2020 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has said the actual number of COVID-19 deaths in the territory is higher than what is reported. The DAK President and influenza expert, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, in a statement in Srinagar said, “Many COVID-19 deaths go unreported in Kashmir.”
“The official count of COVID-19 deaths in the valley is an underestimate and only provides a snapshot of the true death toll virus has taken,” he said, adding, many people with COVID-19 symptoms don’t get tested for the virus because of the fear of stigma.
Dr Nisar said, “Social stigma makes people hide their illness and keep them away from seeking health care.” He said people fear that if they die of COVID-19, they will not get a decent burial and few will come to their funeral. As a result, people are choosing to die at home unrecorded, he maintained.
He said while elderly people have the highest rates for hospitalization and death, many are not tested for COVID-19 in hospitals. Dr Nisar pointed out that many coronavirus related deaths are hidden among other diseases. “Many patients with heart or lung disease die of COVID-19, but their death is attributed to their underlying condition,” he said.
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