For the WHO, the death toll from coronaviruses …

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday that theDeaths caused directly or indirectly by the Covid-19 pandemic are between double and triple those officially reported. In this sense, he estimates that the number of deaths would be between 6 and 8 million, against 3.4 million officially declared.

According to the World Health Statistics Report published by WHO, in America the actual number of deaths linked to the coronavirus in 2020 would be localized between 1.2 and 1.5 million, instead of the officially registered 900,000. Meanwhile, in Europe, deaths are believed to be between 1.1 million and 1.2 million, double the 600,000 reported deaths.

“Direct deaths from Covid-19 represent a fraction of the true impact of the pandemic”WHO data analyst William Msemburi said. He explained that these estimates were made mainly taking into account the total number of deaths that one would have expected based on the evolution of mortality observed in previous years, which has been modified by the pandemic.

Msemburi also clarified that America and Europe are the regions that offer the most comprehensive information on death rates at the national level in 2020. Following this line, he detailed that the statistics have safely recorded that the last year there were 3 million more deaths worldwide, compared to the 1.8 million deaths directly attributed to Covid-19 in December.

These differences between what experts call “excess mortality” or “excess mortality” and the official coronavirus toll, which is the sum of the figures reported by countries, are due to several factors.

Keep in mind that some countries report late deaths and that too there are people who die without having had a diagnostic test, while others die of various untreated illnesses for fear of going to the health center due to the confinement measures or because the high hospital demand makes their treatment impossible.

According to the WHO, only 40% of countries record at least 90% of deaths and their causes, indicating an underreporting that must also be taken into account in the context of the pandemic.

To this must be added the fact that 90% of countries reported interruptions in essential health services and 3% of households spent more than 25% of their budget on medical care in 2015, so universal health coverage is more at risk of being abandoned. behind.

“The Covid-19 has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populationsand those who live in crowded environments are at greater risk. Lack of disaggregation of data contributes to uneven health outcomes, and only 51% of countries include disaggregated data in national statistical reports, ”the WHO pointed out.

On the other hand, some deaths could be avoided, such as those caused by influenza by reducing social contact, as well as those related to road accidents due to mobility restrictions.