Italy's Questionable Numbers

Italy’s death toll from Covid-19 in March and April could be nearly 19,000 higher than the official figure of 32,000, the Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale said Thursday. 

The INPS, the largest social security and welfare institute in Italy, said in a new study that the official death figures were not at all “reliable”. 

Their study showed that 156,429 total fatalities were recorded in Italy in March and April, which is 46,909 higher than the average number of deaths in those months recorded between 2015 and 2019. But only 27,938 fatalities linked to coronavirus were reported during that period by the Civil Protection Agency, whose tally forms the basis of national statistics. 

That meant there were 18,971 more deaths than normal during this period, with the vast majority of 18,412 recorded in the coronavirus-ravaged north of the country. 

So, now we know the UK, the US and Italy being the latest among countries that have misrepresented their coronavirus numbers. 

That’s why all Covid-19 stats issued by countries should be taken with a pinch of salt. Maybe many pinches even. 

And as Italy creeps out of lockdown, the toll on mental health is beginning to become apparent. 

In one survey by Italy’s order of psychologists (CNOP), eight in 10 Italians said they needed psychological support to overcome the pandemic, a much higher response compared with similar surveys done in the past. 

Since the beginning of March, thirty-seven people have killed themselves in Italy and 25 have attempted suicide, according to figures gathered by BRF Onlus, a mental health research foundation. 

And in Malaysia, a total of 8,380 calls were recorded on the Covid-19 hotline since the early days of the Movement Control Order, so said Health Ministry director-general Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah (left). 

Of these calls, 46.8% were linked to “emotional problems” such as anxiety, stress and even anger – for reasons such as financial problems, no income and misunderstanding among family members. Twenty percent were linked to Covid-19 itself, with many worried about the disease. Another 6.9% were calls for assistance for basic needs, 6% were linked to domestic violence, 2.4% were for psychiatric problems such as depression, while 0.2% was for child abuse (The Star, May 20, 2020). 

Note: There weren’t any details on the other 17.7%.