WHO says pandemic has caused up to nearly three times more deaths than officially recorded

The excess mortality caused by the pandemic is up to three times higher than deaths attributed to covid-19 since the first cases were detected in China in late 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) released on Friday, the pandemic has so far caused “between 6 and 8 million” direct and indirect deaths.

“This matches the rest of the estimates which predict that the total number of deaths be at least double or triple ”the official balance of 3.4 millionsaid Dr Samira Asma, WHO deputy director general for data.

WHO is working with different countries to find out what “True human balance of the pandemic and thus be able to be better prepared for the next emergency”, the official said.

Although deaths directly linked to covid-19 are “a key indicator for monitoring the progress of the pandemic,” the WHO explains in the report, Many countries do not have a civil registration system and therefore lack accurate and complete statistics, especially regarding deaths and their causes.

So the excess mortality cannot be measured everywhere, because data is lacking for some countries, but the WHO estimates that in 2020 there was an excess of deaths of between 1.34 and 1.46 million in the Americas and between 1.11 and 1.21 million in the European region.

“A better picture”

A recent assessment of health information systems carried out in 133 countries found that in general, the European region recorded 98% of the total deaths occurring, while in the African region this proportion was only 10%.

In general, “Only 40% of countries in the world record at least 90% of deaths, which means that a significant number of countries are unable to report deaths or their causes, ”Asma explained.

The difference between what experts call The “excess mortality” or “excess mortality” and the official death toll from covid-19 are due to several factors.

Some countries report late deaths, and there are also people who die without having undergone diagnostic tests. Others die of other untreated illnesses, for fear of going to the health center or because of the containment measures.

“Excess mortality gives us a better image, because it takes account of these direct and indirect effects”said William Msemburi, analyst in the WHO data department.

Globally, these statistics show that “The covid pandemic is a major threat to the health and well-being of populations around the world,” said Samira Asma.

In addition, according to the first statistics, Covid-19 has dropped life expectancy in some countries by two to three years, the expert explained.

With information from AFP

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