'Mathematical models on impact of Covid in India had strong bias, failed'

Various mathematical models on the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic in India carried a "strong element of bias and used assumptions" to predict cases and deaths, an editorial published in ICMR's Indian Journal of Medical Research has said.It said it "is a huge risk" to solely rely on these models for policy decisions on advance planning since predicting infectious diseases for a new pathogen is an "extremely perilous proposition" and hence it should be avoided.