Vilified by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party for its high number of COVID-19 cases, Kerala state's apparent poor record may actually hold crucial lessons for the country in containing the outbreak as authorities brace for a possible third wave of infections.
The opposition-ruled, densely populated southern state is currently reporting the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country and accounts for the second-highest national tally — unflattering headline numbers that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized upon as a reflection of bungled local leadership.
However, a Reuters analysis of national and state data, and interviews with epidemiologists and Kerala health authorities paint a different picture.