The WHO believes that the Covid epidemic has resulted in the deaths of over 15 million individuals throughout the globe.
Over the course of two years, there were 13 percent more fatalities than projected.
More than 5.4 million people died from Covid, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Almost a third of all Covid fatalities occurred in India, according to the report, which is 10 times higher than official estimates.
Despite the Indian government’s “concerns” about the estimation’s methodology, other investigations have shown that the death toll in India is indeed high.
The WHO uses the term “excess deaths” to describe but how many more people died than would have been predicted if the pandemic had not occurred.
People who died as a result of Covid’s indirect impacts, such as not being able to get the treatment they required in hospitals, are also included in these estimations. It also explains why some districts kept inadequate records and why testing was scant at the beginning of the crisis.
Despite this, a majority of the additional 9.5 million fatalities above and above the 5.4 million documented by Covid are believed to be caused directly by the virus.
A WHO data analyst, Dr Samira Asma, expressed shock at the astounding numbers, saying, “It’s a tragedy. “It’s a shocking amount and it’s vital for us to honor the lives that have been lost and we have to hold politicians responsible.”
The potential to adequately prepare for the next time will be lost if we don’t count the dead, says the author.
According to WHO data, nations with the greatest number of premature deaths include India, Russia, Indonesia, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Russia has three-and-a-half times the number of documented fatalities.
The paper also examines the excess mortality rates in relation to the population size of each nation. In 2020 and 2021, the UK’s excess mortality rate was above the worldwide average, much like that of the United States, Spain, and Germany.
While China is currently pursuing a “zero Covid” strategy including mass testing and quarantines as well as severe travel restrictions to prevent the virus out of Australia, Japan, and Norway, countries with low excess fatality rates included Australia and Japan.
For nations in sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers who helped produce the paper concede that their estimates are more speculative due to the lack of statistics on mortality in the area. For 41 of Africa’s 54 nations, there were no trustworthy data.
“We desperately need improved data gathering methods,” said WHO statistician Prof. Jon Wakefield of Seattle’s University of Washington.
Human birth and death are a shame if we don’t have any way to track them down. “So we really need to invest in nations’ registration systems so we can acquire accurate and timely data.”
