You do say "allegedly", so you do question the number, and I think it an over-estimate.
I find it hard to see how they can know because Covid-19 has hit India so severely they are struggling to bring it under control. Therefore it must be very difficult to carry out any proper analysis of the germ.
Even so it is a very large country with a huge population so the virus has plenty of opportunity to form new strains of itself.
A senior Indian doctor speaking on the BBC Radio Four Today current-affairs programme this morning, explained that the nation set out to be one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers but is now fighting to supply its own needs and to treat the sick. That is because widespread complacency and resistance led to the disease taking over. He said even many of his fellow medics seemed unable to grasp the need to protect themselves.
Precisely m'dear. When numbers come up that seem improbable I do wonder how the heck they were arrived at, by whom and if they are credible. I mean who does the counting and how is it provable and what is the consequence of it? It is so very sad that the powers that be there didn't take it more seriously earlier. Now they just have to deal with it. Which brings up another question. How is it that some take things very seriously early on while others discount it or shove it aside? I mean the worldwide stats were always available. Now the people are suffering the results. I like your choice of words Durdle. "...widespread complacency and resistance". Depite being surrounded by dire statistics they were detached? Thank you for your reply and Happy Tuesday to thee and thine! :)
Durdle 