Nature: COVID death tolls: scientists acknowledge errors in WHO estimates

10 June, 2022

[Extracts below from Nature. Readin full: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01526-0#author-0 ]

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NEWS FEATURE

01 June 2022

COVID death tolls: scientists acknowledge errors in WHO estimates

Researchers with the World Health Organization explain mistakes in high-profile mortality estimates for Germany and Sweden.

Scientists working with the World Health Organization (WHO) have corrected some surprising errors in its estimates of how many deaths the pandemic has caused, after a flurry of questions about the original WHO report, issued in early May.

In a revision to a technical paper on their methods, researchers cut Germany’s pandemic-related deaths estimate by 37%, pulling its excess death rate below those of the United Kingdom and Spain. They also raised their estimate for Sweden by 19% (see ‘Corrected estimates of pandemic death rates’)...

The WHO project is a live model, which researchers said was always going to be updated as demographers gained more information. The organization has not yet changed the numbers on its project website (see go.nature.com/3azupk5). Official systematic updates of estimates for excess mortality - including for Germany and Sweden - will follow “in the next iteration plaanned later this year”, says Somnath Chatterji, a senior adviser in the WHO’s Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact in Geneva, Switzerland...

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Prof Joseph Ana

Lead Senior Fellow/ medical consultant.

Center for Clinical Governance Research &

Patient Safety (ACCGR&PS)

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HIFA profile: Joseph Ana is the Lead Consultant and Trainer at the Africa Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety in Calabar, Nigeria, established by HRI Global (former HRIWA). In 2015 he won the NMA Award of Excellence for establishing 12-Pillar Clinical Governance, Quality and Safety initiative in Nigeria. He has been the pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National Committee on Clinical Governance and Research since 2012. He is also Chairman of the Quality & Performance subcommittee of the Technical Working Group for the implementation of the Nigeria Health Act. He is a pioneer Trustee-Director of the NMF (Nigerian Medical Forum) which took the BMJ to West Africa in 1995. He is particularly interested in strengthening health systems for quality and safety in LMICs. He has written Five books on the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance for LMICs, including a TOOLS for Implementation. He established the Department of Clinical Governance, Servicom & e-health in the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Nigeria in 2007. Website: www.hri-global.org. Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers.

Website: www.hri-global.com Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers.

http://www.hifa.org/support/members/joseph-0

http://www.hifa.org/people/steering-group

Email: info@hri-global.org and jneana@yahoo.co.uk