Hundreds of millions of life years lost to pandemic: WHO

GENEVA: Nearly 337 million life years were lost in the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, as millions of people died prematurely, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

The UN health agency’s annual world statistics report also showed a swelling threat from noncommunicable diseases (NCDS) such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The most dramatic finding, based on data up to 2022, was the estimate of how many years of life Covid had taken, WHO said.

The pandemic has wreaked global devastation and officially killed nearly seven million people, with the true figure believed to be closer to 20 million.

The WHO report lays bare how the virus itself and the broader impact of the crisis abruptly cut short the lives of millions of people.

While the WHO officially registered 5.4 million Covid deaths in 2020 and 2021, its excess mortality data shows around 14.9 million people actually likely died due to the crisis over that period.

Even more striking, perhaps, it said the statistics show that during those two years alone, Covid resulted in the loss globally of 336.8 million years that otherwise would have been lived.

“It’s like losing 22 years of life for every excess death,” Samira Asma, WHO’S assistant chief for data and analytics, told reporters ahead of the launch.

“Significant inequities underpin the distribution of Covid-19 cases and deaths, as well as access to vaccinations,” the report said.

The WHO warned that the pandemic had helped throw off-track many health-related indicators that had been improving for years.

During the first two decades of the century, the world saw significant improvements in maternal and child health, with deaths falling by one-third and one-half respectively.

The incidence of infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria also declined significantly, as did the risk of premature death from NCDS.

Global life expectance rose from 67 years in 2000 to 73 in 2019.