COVID a far-worse killer

Nearly 15M globally, 3 times the official tally

The number of deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is nearly three times higher than the official number reported by countries, according to the World Health Organization.

A WHO report released Thursday says the full death toll associated with the pandemic between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021, was approximately 14.9 million.

The official death toll, based on data on deaths reported by countries, is around 5.4 million.

The staggering new figure includes both people who died after contracting the disease or those who were indirectly affected by it, such as people neglected by strained hospitals and overwhelmed health systems, described by health officials as “excess mortality.”

“These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

WHO calculates excess mortality as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would have occurred in the absence of the pandemic, based on data from previous years.

The new estimates, which were calculated by a panel of health experts, show that the vast majority of excess deaths (84%) were concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.

In India, for example, WHO officials say that around 4.7 million people died because of the pandemic — nearly 10 times the official figure reported by the government. In Egypt, excess deaths were nearly 12 times as high as the official COVID death toll, while in Pakistan that number was eight times as high.

Around 68% of them were concentrated in just 10 countries, where middle-income countries accounted for 81% of the excess deaths, with 53% occurring in lower-middle-income countries and 28% in upper-middle-income countries. High-income and low-income countries each accounted for 15% and 4%, respectively.

“Measurement of excess mortality is an essential component to understand the impact of the pandemic,” Dr. Samira Asma, WHO’s assistant director-general for data, analytics and delivery, said in a statement.

“Shifts in mortality trends provide decision-makers information to guide policies to reduce mortality and effectively prevent future crises. Because of limited investments in data systems in many countries, the true extent of excess mortality often remains hidden,” she added.

Officials came up with the new estimates by using “the best available data” and using a “completely transparent approach,” Asma said.

The data will be used to “promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable,” Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, assistant director-general for emergency response, said.