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- According to a report from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the total number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide could be as much as 6.9 million
- It suggested that many deaths go unreported, since most countries only record those that occur in hospitals
- The IHME said the reported COVID-19 mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country
- It compared anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic
- However, the report only includes deaths caused directly by the virus, not secondary deaths caused by the pandemic’s disruption to healthcare systems
According to a report from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the total number of COVID-19 deaths worldwide could be as much as 6.9 million — more than double those officially recorded.
It suggested that many deaths go unreported, since most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or if patients are confirmed to have the infection.
As an independent health research organisation that offers comparable measurement of the world’s health problems, information provided by the IHME has previously been cited by the White House and its reports are closely watched by health officials.
In its latest report, the IHME said the reported COVID-19 mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country.
“If you don’t test very much, you’re most likely to miss COVID deaths,” said Christopher Murray, director of the IHME.
The institute came to its conclusions by comparing anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic.
On Wednesday, official figures from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention put the country’s total number of COVID-related deaths at 575,491. Analysis from the IHME, however, suggests the actual number could be more than 905,000.
Notably, the report only includes deaths caused directly by the virus, not secondary deaths caused by the pandemic’s disruption to healthcare systems and communities.
“Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic’s toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease,” Murray said.
