Find the answer to the actual number of deaths from Covid-19 in the world

Those who died of Covid-19 were cremated in New Delhi, India in April 2021 reuters

According to Worldometersthe world has recorded more than 500 million infections and 6.2 million deaths since the first Covid-19 cases were recorded in the city. Wuhan (Hubei province, China) by the end of 2019.

However, experts believe that the actual number in many places may be much higher than the officially recorded figures.

World Health Organization (WHO) is making an ambitious effort to find the answer, despite facing a big problem, according to page News.com.au April 18.

At least 15 million people?

Experts who have studied the answers for WHO in the past year believe that number of deaths from Covid-19 15 million people by the end of 2021, although this data has not been made public. This number is more than double the official figures that countries have recorded.

It has been reported that efforts to obtain accurate data have been hindered in some countries, which has recorded lower numbers than they actually are. Some places have postponed the publication of data due to controversy.

Workers digging graves in Sao Paolo, Brazil amid the Covid-19 pandemic on April 2, 2020 reuters

According to the sheet The New York TimesIndia recorded more than 520,000 deaths from Covid-19. However, sources familiar with the matter say the WHO will show that the country has recorded at least 4 million deaths, the highest number in the world.

WHO uses national data on Covid-19 deaths, combined with new information from regions and surveys of households. They also use statistical models to calculate the number that is missing from the real thing.

In addition, there are indirect deaths from Covid-19, such as patients who cannot access medical care for medical problems. health other, due to the impact of the pandemic.

“It’s important for global statistics and for the moral responsibility of those who have died, but it’s also very important in terms of reality. If there are further waves of infection, understanding the total number of deaths is key to knowing if vaccination campaigns are effective,” said Prabhat Jha, director of the Center for Health Research. globally in Toronto (Canada).

Mr. Jha is also a member of a working group that helps WHO calculate the number of deaths beyond official figures.

The exact number is also difficult to know

Professor Sanjeev Bagai of New Delhi (WHO) criticized the calculation of WHO as well as the specific case of India. “There has been no concerted effort on the basis of science from different countries,” he criticized, saying the study had limitations.

“Countries cannot be considered equally. Almost 80% of countries in the world do not have digital health records, it is almost impossible to have an exact number,” he analyzed.

According to him, the incomplete statistics and assessment of the number of deaths from Covid-19 is a global problem, not just India. According to him, there are countries that are very densely populated but have only recorded less than 5,000 deaths in “malicious pranks”.

This expert believes that statistics have many limitations, such as unreported self-testing.

In China, the number of deaths in Wuhan is believed to be 50% higher than forecast for the first quarter of 2020, according to a group of government researchers. The team of experts found that deaths from heart disease and diabetes spiked during lockdown and deaths increased because of obstacles to finding help.

Indonesia and Egypt are also among the most populous countries that may not have fully recorded the number of deaths in the pandemic. In addition, Russia recorded 300,000 deaths by the end of 2021 but it is also possible that the actual number of deaths is much higher.