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Covid-19-related deaths have caused the loss of 336.8 million life-years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That estimate reveals the true extent of the pandemic, according to the U.N. health agency’s statistical yearbook, released Friday in Geneva.
WHO attributes about 14.9 million deaths to the coronavirus in 2020 and 2021 alone. On average, this shortened lives by about 22 years each time the organization calculates.
According to WHO statistics, the pandemic also negatively impacted the global fight against infectious diseases because vaccination and health services were temporarily unavailable. As a result, vaccinations against measles, tetanus and other diseases decreased, while malaria and tuberculosis increased.
Deaths from non-communicable diseases on the rise
Away from Corona, WHO expressed concern that the annual number of deaths from non-communicable diseases will rise to about 77 million per year toward the middle of this century – nearly 90 percent more than in 2019.
Even before 2019, WHO recorded significant increases in fatal heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer. This trend was driven primarily by increases in global population and life expectancy; however, WHO emphasizes that the likelihood of dying from such diseases has decreased worldwide in recent decades.
- source: science.ORF.at/agencies/picture: pixabay.com
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