America has undercounted its Covid-19 deaths: Fauci

People pray during a vigil organised by Nailing It For America for those who have died from COVID-19 and to “Stop Asian Hate” in Fountain Valley, California. Pic/AFP

The United States (US) has undercounted the number of deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, currently the highest in the world, Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, said.

He made the remarks on Sunday during a TV programme while responding to a question as to whether he believes the true death toll is as high as suggested by a new study from the University of Washington, reports Xinhua news agency.

"You know, the model says that it's a significant amount, as you mentioned correctly, 900,000. That's a bit more than I would have thought the undercounting was, but, you know, sometimes the models are right on line, sometimes they're a bit off," he said.

Anthony Fauci. Pic/AFP

"But I think there's no doubt that we are and have been undercounting. What that tells us is something that we've known. You know, we're living through a historic pandemic, the likes of which we haven't seen in over a 100 years," Fauci added.

As of Monday, the US' Coronavirus death toll has increased to 581,752, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The country's caseload stood at 32,707,359, also the largest in the world.

Saudi to hold Haj under safety measures

Saudi Arabia has announced its plan to hold this year's Haj pilgrimage under Covid-19 safety measures that will ensure preserving the health and safety of the worshippers, state media reported. The health authorities in the Kingdom continue to assess conditions and take all measures to protect the health and well-being of the public, state media quoted the Ministry of Haj and Umrah as saying on Sunday. It added that organisation details of the Haj season will be announced later, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lanka identifies six Covid-19 variants

Sri Lankan health experts have said a total of six Covid-19 variants have been identified in the island nation amid an ongoing resurgence of new cases. The Coronavirus variants, including the more contagious B.1.617 first reported in India, were identified by the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, reports Xinhua news agency.

Israel approves aid to support aviation industry

The Israeli government has approved an aid plan to support the country's Coronavirus-hit aviation industry, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. The government approved agreements signed between the Ministry and country's two largest airlines, El Al and Israir, reports Xinhua news agency citing the statement as saying on Sunday.

6,77,545
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

15,84,34,226
Total no. of cases worldwide

32,95,405
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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