IHME scientists: mortality from coronavirus in the world is underestimated by half

Experts believe that the true number of deaths from coronavirus is underestimated in almost all countries. For example, more than 905 thousand people have died in the United States, although only 574 thousand deaths have been officially registered. Deaths in India and Mexico are almost three times underestimated. And in Russia, according to scientists, generally five times - statistics show about 110 thousand deaths, but in fact the number of deaths can be 593.6 thousand. The data in Japan, Egypt, Ukraine, etc. are also underestimated.

According to American scientists, this happened because countries only report deaths in hospitals or among patients with confirmed coronavirus. “We hope the report will motivate governments to identify and fill gaps in their COVID-19 death reports so they can more accurately target pandemic resources”, - said IHME Director Chris Murray.

The study of scientists is based on the analysis of data on excess mortality. The researchers compared deaths by country in previous years with the number of deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several adjustments were made in connection with the increase in the death rate from non-coronavirus-related causes. The experts also took into account that the pandemic could lead to the saving of lives due to the decrease in traffic density and the number of fatal accidents.