COVID's true death toll: by the end of 2021, some 18 million people had died

[L. Coyote]

COVID’s true death toll: much higher than official records
Modelling suggests that by the end of 2021, some 18 million people had died because of the pandemic.

The number of people who have died because of the COVID-19 pandemic could be roughly three times higher than official figures suggest, according to a new analysis1.

The study, published on 10 March in The Lancet, says that the true number of lives lost to the pandemic by 31 December 2021 was close to 18 million. That far outstrips the 5.9 million deaths that the study says were reported to various official sources for the same period. The difference is down to significant undercounts in official statistics, owing to delayed and incomplete reporting and a lack of data in dozens of countries.

The loss of life “is much higher than simply assessed by reported COVID-19 deaths in most countries”, says study co-author Haidong Wang, a demographer and population-health expert at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle, Washington. “Understanding the true death toll from the pandemic is vital for effective public health decision-making.”

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[Kid Berwyn]

1. Ignoring Deaths over Normal

Goes to the heart of a major problem, disinformation, and humanity’s desire to stay comfortable, getting up and doing something about it.

Don’t rock the boat, COVID!

War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.

When the nation holds dear belief, who needs data?