UK.USA

  GENEVA, Switzerland — According to the WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic killed 13.3 to 16.6 million people in 2020 and 2021, more than tripling the number of deaths directly attributed to the disease. The World Health Organization's long-awaited estimate of the total number of deaths caused by the pandemic — including lives lost as a result of the pandemic's knock-on effects — finally puts a number on the crisis's broader impact. "New World Health Organization estimates show that the total death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million)," according to a statement from the UN health agency. The figure represents what is known as excess mortality as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, which has rocked much of the world for more than two years. "These sobering data not only point to the pandemic's impact, but also to the need for