Covid: World true pandemic death toll nearly reach 15 million - WHO

Di Covid pandemic don cause deaths of nearly 15 million people around di world, na so World Health Organization (WHO) estimate.

Dat na 13% more deaths than wetin normally dey expected over two years.

WHO believe many kontris no count well di numbers of pipo wey die from Covid - only 5.4 million dey reported.

For India, di kontri record 4.7 million Covid deaths, WHO tok - 10 times di official figures - and almost one third of Covid deaths globally.

Di Indian goment don question di estimate, as dem say dem get "concerns" about di methodology, but other studies don arrive at similar conclusions about di number of deaths for di kontri.

Di tin wey WHO use measure am dem dey call am - excess deaths - e dey take into account how many more pipo die than dem go normally expect based on di death rate for di same area before di pandemic hit.

Dis calculations also take into account deaths wey no dey directly because of Covid but instead dey caused by dia knock-on effects, like pipo wey dey unable to access hospitals for di care dem need. It also take into account, poor record-keeping for some regions, and reduced testing wen di crisis start.

But di WHO say majority of di extra 9.5 million deaths wey dey above di 5.4 million Covid deaths tori pipo dey report dey believed to be direct deaths wey di virus cause, rather than indirect deaths.

Speaking about di scale of di figures, Dr Samira Asma, from WHO data department, say "di tin na tragedy.

"Na alarming number and e dey important for us to honour di lives wey we don lose, and we gats hold policymakers accountable," she tok.

"If we no count di dead, we go miss di opportunity to dey better prepared for next time."

Alongside India, kontris wey get di highest total excess deaths include Russia, Indonesia, USA, Brazil, Mexico and Peru, di WHO figures suggest. Di numbers for Russia dey three-and-a-half times di kontri recorded deaths.

Di report also look at di rates of excess deaths relative to each kontri population size. Di UK excess mortality rate - like America, Spain and Germany - dey above di global average during 2020 and 2021.

Kontris wey get low excess death rates include China, wey still dey pursue policy of "zero Covid" wey involve mass testing and quarantines, Australia, wey impose strict travel restrictions to keep di virus out of di country, Japan and Norway.

Di academics wey help compile di report admit say dia estimates dey more speculative for kontris for sub-Saharan Africa, because na little data on deaths dey for di region. Reliable statistics for 41 out of 54 kontris in Africa no dey.

Statistician Prof Jon Wakefield, from Seattle University of Washington, help di WHO and im tell BBC say: "We urgently need betta data collection systems.

"Na disgrace say dem fit born pesin and pesin fit die - and we no get any record of dia passing.

"So we really need to invest in countries' registration systems so we can get accurate and timely data."