The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems during the first two years of the pandemic, more than double the current official death toll of over 6 million.
According to a WHO report issued Thursday, most of the deaths occurred in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The U.N. health agency’s director-general described the newly calculated figure as “sobering,” saying it should prompt countries to invest more in their capacities to quell future health emergencies.
