The coronavirus pandemic led to one million extra deaths in 29 high-income countries in 2020, a study published on Wednesday by The BMJ said.
With the exception of Norway, Denmark and New Zealand, all other countries had more deaths than expected in 2020, particularly among men.
The five countries with the highest number of excess deaths were the US, UK, Italy, Spain and Poland.
Excess deaths have been used to mark the effects of the pandemic's since it began, but this University of Oxford study is the first to take into account temporal and seasonal trends, as well as differences in age and sex across countries.
Researchers from the university's Nuffield Department of Population Health used a mathematical model that tabulated the last five years' mortality trends in the 29 high-income countries studied.
An estimated 979,000 excess deaths occurred in these countries with America's 458,000 the most, a reflection of its sizeable population and pandemic management.
New Zealand was calculated as having 2,500 fewer deaths than in a normal year, a reflection of its success in dealing with the coronavirus.
The total number of excess deaths was largely concentrated among people aged 75 or older, followed by people aged 65-74. Deaths in children under 15 were similar to expected levels in most countries and lower than expected in others.
In most countries, the estimated number of excess deaths exceeded the number of reported deaths from Covid-19. For example, in both the US and the UK, estimated excess deaths were more than 30 per cent higher than the number of reported Covid deaths.
Contrastingly, Israel and France had a higher number of reported Covid deaths than estimated excess deaths, which the researchers tentatively ascribed to reporting differences.
Excess death rates higher in men than women
In most countries, age-specific excess death rates were higher in men than in women, and the absolute difference in rates between the sexes tended to increase with age.
The US was an outlier on this metric, however, as its excess death rate was higher among women than men in those aged 85 or older.
Researchers said the study did have some limitations, and cited a lack of data from lower and middle-income countries.
They warned that Covid's full impact may not be apparent for many years, particularly in lower-income countries where factors such as poverty, lack of vaccines, weak health systems and high population density place people at increased risk.
"There is an urgent need to measure this excess morbidity, support those with long-term complications of Covid-19 and fund health systems globally to address the backlog of work resulting from the pandemic," they said.
More work is required from the researchers, too, if they are to understand the impact of national vaccination programmes on mortality in 2021.
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Three out of five stars
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The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
Six large-scale objects on show
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THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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