According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, the real COVID-19 death toll is nearly 15 million. Here’s more on the deaths caused by the coronavirus.
The real COVID-19 death toll
As per WHO estimations, COVID-19 has caused nearly 13 percent more deaths than usual in the last two years. The organization also believes that several nations undercounted the number of people who lost their lives to the virus. Only 5.4 million deaths were reported. The data projects a higher death toll for men when compared to women. Around 57 percent of the people who lost their lives were men.
Additionally, nations with lower-middle incomes saw a higher number of deaths.
The methodology employed by WHO also accounts for deaths that are not directly due to the virus but, a result of knock-on effects. Additionally, it also accounts for the poor record-keeping and sparse testing in some regions. However, the majority of the extra 9.5 million deaths seen above the 5.4 million COVID-19 deaths reported were thought to be direct deaths caused by the virus, rather than indirect deaths,” reflects the report.
Here’s more on the figures from individual nations
According to the WHO, India’s COVID-19 death toll was 4.7 million, about 10 times more than the reported figures. It makes up about one-third of the COVID-19 deaths across the world. However, the Indian government is questioning the estimates. It revealed its “concerns” over methodology. However, several studies are estimating similar numbers for the largest democracy in the world.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a staggering number and it’s important for us to honor the lives that are lost, and we have to hold policymakers accountable,” stated Dr. Samira Asma. Dr. Asma is from the WHO’s data department. “If we don’t count the dead, we will miss the opportunity to be better prepared for the next time,” she added. In addition to India, other nations such as Russia, Peru, Brazil, the USA, and Mexico have excess deaths. The report also sheds light on the excess deaths concerning the population of each nation. For example, the UK had excess mortality rates. The numbers for USA, Germany, and Spain were also above the global average.