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            Period. 27 April – 3 May 2020          

                
       
    


    
    
    

    
          
Deaths that are definitively ascribed to COVID-19 are typically in severely ill people who have tested positive for the virus in a hospital. Studies now suggest that many more COVID-19 related mortalities may not be accounted for if these occurred among people were not tested or who died at home or in a nursing home. Estimates vary on the disparity between official reported mortality and what experts believe may be the true mortality rate. One study from Italy suggests that the number of deaths were two times higher than reported) – more than double the reported figure. The head of the public health authority in Germany yesterday also reported an increase in excess mortality.


A 14-country analysis that was commissioned by the Financial Times estimates that the death toll from COVID-19 could be 60% higher than official reports when comparing overall fatalities with baseline mortality in the previous five years. Another study by a team from Yale analyzed how many mortalities would have been expected in the first five weeks in the U.S. without the pandemic, concluding that the official figures were likely off by a factor of two. The researchers also warn of widespread reports of people with serious illnesses avoiding hospitals, which could furthermore under-estimate the true impact of COVID-19 on health systems globally.



    
     
      
      
      
            
      
              

        

          
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