Almost 15m people worldwide 'killed directly or indirectly by Covid pandemic'

The vast majority of the excess deaths reported (84%) occurred in Asia, Europe and the Americas. File Picture iStock

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that almost 15m people worldwide have been killed by the coronavirus or by its impact on health services.

A new report from the WHO estimates Covid-19 mortalities to be somewhere between 13.3m and 16.6m from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021.

These figures represent a more than doubling of the current official Covid-19 global death toll (government figures provided to the WHO) of 6.24m.

According to the report, the excess mortality was calculated as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred, and the number that would be expected in a normal year in the absence of the pandemic.

This excess mortality includes deaths attributable directly to Covid-19 which were counted and reported to WHO by countries, as well as deaths attributable directly to Covid that were not counted or reported.

It also includes deaths indirectly associated with Covid-19, due to other causes and diseases, resulting from the wider impact of the pandemic on health systems and society.

The figures in the WHO report were compiled using country-reported data and statistical modelling.

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the figures were 'sobering'. File Picture: Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP

The vast majority of the excess deaths reported (84%) occurred in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Lower-middle-income states accounted for more than half (53%) of these excess deaths.

High-income countries accounted for 15%, upper-middle-income nations accounted for 28%, and low-income countries accounted for 4%.

Overall, the global death toll was higher for men (57%) than for women (43%).

More deaths were also reported among older age groups.

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,” said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes."