Following the release of a Harvard University study that estimated the death toll from Hurricane Maria last year was more than 4,600, dramatically larger than the official government tally of 64, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello admitted the protocol his administration used for calculating the deaths was insufficient, CBS News reported.
"We welcome all studies," Rossello said at a press conference Tuesday. "We want the real number to come out. We had a protocol that really was subpar and we recognize it."
The government protocol used was for doctors to tell the authorities if a death was caused by the hurricane. If families disagreed with a doctor's opinion, they had to petition the government to investigate.
But the Harvard study surveyed more than 3,000 homes across Puerto Rico and discovered that the mortality rate spiked 62 percent in the three months after Hurricane Maria compared to the same period the year before.
About one-third of the deaths were reportedly due to lack of proper medical care. Researchers said the final count of fatalities could be as high as 8,500. And another independent study into the death toll is due to be released soon.
This one was conducted by George Washington University after Puerto Rico commissioned it to conduct one.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told CBS "the negligence that allowed those lives to be lost, needs to be accounted for" and criticized President Donald Trump for being tone deaf and slow to respond.
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