Why COVID-19 Probably Killed More People Than We Realize

The Harvard Business School has come out with this sensationalist article by two of its professors!

First some perspective: Only 0.1% of the entire wold population have died related to Covid-19. Compared to plagues of the past, where up to 30-50% of the population died, this is not negligible, but it is no reason for panic and hysteria.

Second, had it been a global outbreak of a influenza pandemic instead of Covid-19 would the numbers be so much different.

Third, equally it can be argued that the official death toll is significantly inflated, because anyone, who came in contact with SARS-CoV-2 and died was counted as killed by the virus no matter what the circumstances.

"... In fact, the number of actual deaths in some countries, like Ecuador and Bolivia, was more than triple the number reported, representing tens of thousands of losses that were never attributed to the pandemic. And the United States saw the highest number of unexplained deaths in 2020: a total of 50,876, the research shows. ..." 

How accurate were death statistics for Ecuador and Bolivia before the Covid-19 pandemic?

Why COVID-19 Probably Killed More People Than We Realize - HBS Working Knowledge Millions of people around the world have died from COVID-19, according to government records, but research by Ethan Rouen, George Serafeim, and Botir Kobilov suggests that the actual number could be much higher.