COVID-19 has exacted a shocking death toll on the world's human population. Public health officials use excess deaths due to a pandemic as a more exact measurement of the disease impact. Excess deaths are those report above the expected death rate for a period of time. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports nearly 15 million excess deaths attributable to COVID-19 occurred between January 2020 and December 2021. Most of this mortality is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe and the USA. These charts tell more of the story:
This chart shows excess mortality per capita, which allows for more accurate comparison between countries. Several wealthy countries in Europe and the US have an excess death rate higher than the global average (96). Australia is notable for its above average performance that came at the economic coast of prolonged quarantines
The chart shows those countries with the most undereporting of COVID-19 fatalities. India has strenuously objected to WHO's estimate of its underreporting, but most health officials think India has serious accuracy problems with its mortality statistics. Speaking to the BBC
about the scale of the figures, Dr Samira Asma, from the WHO's data department, said "It's a tragedy. "It's a staggering number and it's important for us to honor the lives that are lost, and we have to hold policymakers accountable," she said. "If we don't count the dead, we will miss the opportunity to be better prepared for the next time."
