COVID related data reporting has become a fickle exercise in India. The intent seems to be how one state can beat the other in terms of cases (NOT) identified.  To get to that flattening of the curve by hook or crook, numbers are being fudged, numerators and denominators are being tweaked, even dead bodies are not being counted. Policy makers have to think beyond this beauty contest mindset. Because what you don’t catch in testing will show up as patients in ICUs and then you will have to fudge those numbers, and hide dead bodies… there is no end to fudging data. Given the lack of consistency in testing across states, the only reasonable number that would make sense going forward is the hospitalization data (if that is not made up). But if the government can fudge GDP numbers to employment numbers, what the heck???