LONDON: More than 18 million people may have died worldwide from COVID-19 — three times the official toll, according to US researchers.
A study by Washington University in the US examined 191 countries and territories to uncover what researchers say is the true global death figure.
Their report lands almost two years to the day since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.
Some of the 18 million deaths were caused by the virus, while others were linked to infections or the result of other pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease.
The figure combine to produce excess deaths — the number who may have died as a result of the virus compared with “normal” years.
Published in medical journal The Lancet, the Washington study found the global rate of excess deaths was 120 per 100,000 people, though the figure varied significantly across countries.
That means the true tally for COVID-19 deaths worldwide from the start of 2020 to the end of 2021 is around 18.2 million.
The highest rates were in lower-income countries in Latin America, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. These include Bolivia, Bulgaria, Eswatini, North Macedonia and Lesotho.
But deaths were also fairly high in some high-income countries, such as Italy and parts of the US.
Countries with the lowest death rates were Iceland, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Taiwan.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Haidong Wang, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said: “Understanding the true death toll from the pandemic is vital for effective public health decision-making.”
He added: “Studies from several countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands, suggest COVID-19 was the direct cause of most excess deaths, but we currently don’t have enough evidence for most locations. Further research will help to reveal how many deaths were caused directly by COVID-19 and how many occurred as an indirect result of the pandemic.”
The researchers predict that excess mortality linked to the pandemic will decline, thanks to vaccines and new treatments, but warned that the pandemic is not yet over and dangerous new variants could still emerge.
