By: Natasha Archary
The World Health Organisation (WHO) claims 15 million people died worldwide from Covid-19 related complications.
Releasing the information on Thursday, 5 May, WHO says between 2020 and 2021 there have been in excess of 14.9 million deaths linked to the virus.
Between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, approximately 14.9 million deaths were recorded.
These estimates indicate that the death toll was directly and indirectly associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Excess mortality of almost 15 million people shows the catastrophic effect the pandemic has had on the world.
“These sobering data not only points to the impact of the pandemic but also the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services, including stronger health information systems,” said WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
South-East Asia, Europe and the Americas had the highest mortality rates at 84%. Meanwhile, some 68% of excess deaths were concentrated in 10 countries globally.
Middle-income countries account for 81% of the 14.9 million deaths. High and low-income countries contributed 15% and 4% of the death toll respectively.
Meanwhile, India has hit back at the World Health Organisation, accusing the health body of falsely inflating the country’s Covid-19 figures.
The WHO estimated some 4.75 million deaths in India since 2020 could be attributed to Covid-19.
However, India officially reported 481 000 Covid-19 deaths for 2020-21, with the number reaching 524 000 in 2022.
The Indian health and family welfare ministry said, “WHO, for reasons best known to them, conveniently chose to ignore the available data submitted by India.”
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