According to the findings of the World Health Statistics Report, the actual number of global deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year is probably two to three times higher than the documented one.
Based on the high death toll since the pandemic began, World Health Organization officials believe the true number is far higher than the 3.4 million deaths officially documented as of December 31, 2020.
WHO data analyst William Msemburi said the organization is working with other UN agencies to calculate the direct and indirect consequences of COVID-19.
“The direct consequences include deaths reported by COVID, as well as those deaths that were not counted because people died without testing,” he said. “What I mean by indirect consequences are those deaths that can be attributed to the difficult conditions under which many people in the world live due to the pandemic. These conditions have led patients to avoid health care, which has increased the number of deaths as a result.
Msemburi said the pandemic has brought severe socio-economic damage, resulting in an increase in illnesses like depression, but treating patients with COVID has taken precedence over those suffering from other illnesses.
The report reveals that the pandemic has disrupted health services for many dangerous diseases and poses major health threats beyond the risks of COVID-19.
WHO Assistant Director General for Data Sharing and Analysis Samira Asma said that before COVID-19, life expectancy was increasing.
“We have made great strides in global longevity, which is growing with the benefits of healthy longevity as well. However, the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on these indicators. “And we are learning from some countries that life expectancy has already dropped by two to three years,” said Asma.
The report says global life expectancy at birth increased from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.3 years in 2019, with healthy life expectancy rising before the pandemic from 58.3 to 63.67 years. The largest increase was in low-income countries.
The report notes that global tobacco use has declined by 33 percent since 2000, but adult obesity is on the rise, affecting a quarter of the populations in affluent countries. He says non-communicable diseases make up seven of the top 10 causes of global death.
