Does Hungary have a record number of COVID-19 deaths or is the data misleading?

The coronavirus in Hungary currently has a death rate above 11% (363 fatalities for 3,065 registered cases), which can make people scared. This is a high rate. However, the big picture is more complicated and less scary.

As we have reported earlier today, the total number of registered coronavirus cases in Hungary rose to 3,065, and the total number of fatalities is currently 363. These numbers can seem frightening at first.

As Portfolio pointed out on Sunday, the cumulative death rate in Hungary is exceptionally high compared to the number of registered cases. In fact, there is hardly any other country where they registered such a high number of fatalities compared to a relatively low number of registered cases. Should we be concerned?

According to these numbers, the current death rate in Hungary is above 11%. Similar percentages are observed in countries where the pandemic completely overloads the healthcare system. This is, however, not the case in Hungary thanks to the effective defence strategies initiated quickly by the government. Why the high rate then?

Can we interpret the 11% death rate as saying that in Hungary, one in ten people who are infected dies? More likely, it is not the case. Why are the numbers misleading? The answer is rather simple: many cases are undiagnosed.