According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), the corona pandemic cost the lives of around 14.9 million people worldwide in 2020 and 2021.
The number includes both those who died from corona infections and people with other diseases or injuries who could not be treated in time because the health systems were overloaded, as the WHO reported in Geneva on Thursday.
According to reports from WHO member countries, the number of deaths among corona infected people worldwide is now just over 6.2 million.
The WHO is calling for more investment in healthcare so that future vital treatments do not have to be postponed in times of crisis such as a pandemic.
When estimating excess mortality, the US Institute for Health Metrics (IHME) in Seattle came to similar conclusions as the WHO now.
It provides estimates daily.
At the end of 2021, the institute assumed 15.4 million deaths.
The WHO experts have taken into account that a certain number of deaths have been prevented due to the corona restrictions.
This includes, for example, fewer road accidents and accidents at work because more people were working from home and curfews were imposed in many places.