The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that around 15 million people were killed either by Coronavirus or as a result of its impact on health services from from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
This is more than double the current official death toll, which stands at of over 6 million people. According to the WHO report, most of the deaths occurred in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the U.N. Health Agency’s Director-general called the figure “sobering”. He said,
“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.
“WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes.”
According to the report, there was a higher rate for men (57%) than there was for women (43%), with more excess deaths among the elderly than younger generations.
