Covid killed 6.9mn, more than double official tally, says IHME

Only hospital deaths and confirmed ones are being recorded, shows a new analysis

WASHINGTON/SYDNEY: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated.

Deaths go unreported as most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or of patients with a confirmed infection, the report showed.

The IHME is an independent health research organisation that provides comparable measurement of the world’s health problems and has been cited in the past by the White House and its reports are watched closely by public health officials.

The reported Covid-19 mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country, the IHME said. “If you don’t test very much, you’re most likely to miss Covid deaths,” Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told journalists.

IHME estimated total Covid-19 deaths by comparing anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic.

In the US, the analysis estimated Covid-19 related deaths of more than 905,000. Official figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday estimated 575,491 deaths due to the coronavirus disease. The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

The report only includes deaths caused directly by the virus, not deaths caused by the pandemic’s disruption to health

care systems and communities.

Australia won’t extend disputed travel ban

Australia will not extend a controversial ban on citizens returning from Covid-hit India, the prime minister said on Friday following widespread public outrage. Scott Morrison this week barred all travel from India, fearing a large number of Covid-positive arrivals would overwhelm Australia’s already strained quarantine facilities.

The move stranded an estimated 9,000 Australian citizens and threatened them with large fines and jail time if they tried to dodge the ban and return on non-direct flights. Morrison on Friday said that the measures would remain in place until May 15 as planned, but then repatriation flights could resume.