Worldwide Covid death toll surpasses six million as pandemic enters third year

The global death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed six million, with a warning that figure is likely to be a vast undercount.

The tally, recorded by John Hopkins University, recorded one million deaths in the past four months alone - a reminder of the impact coronavirus continues to have.

Overall, some 450 million cases of Covid-19 have been recorded.

Despite the enormity of the figure, the world likely hit its six millionth death some time ago with poor record-keeping, testing, and different methods of recording deaths leading to an undercount.

Where are the most Covid deaths now being reported?

While countries like the UK return to a life as pre-pandemic in feel as we're ever likely to know, others are at the onset of their Covid crises.

The remote Pacific Islands, for example, whose isolation had protected them for the first two years of the pandemic are just beginning to field outbreaks and deaths.

Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths soar, is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings on to China's "zero-Covid" strategy.

There are concerns as 1.5 million refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine arrive in Eastern Europe, with death rates high in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other countries in the area.

While the US is nearing one million reported deaths on its own.

Death rates worldwide are still highest among people unvaccinated against the virus, said Tikki Pang, a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore’s medical school and co-chair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.

"This is a disease of the unvaccinated — look what is happening in Hong Kong right now, the health system is being overwhelmed," said Mr Pang, the former director of research policy and cooperation with the World Health Organization.

"The large majority of the deaths and the severe cases are in the unvaccinated, vulnerable segment of the population."

Why is it almost certain the total death toll is much higher?

Poor record-keeping, testing, and different methods of recording deaths mean the figure is likely much higher than six million.

That also doesn't take into account excess deaths related to the pandemic - but not actually from Covid infections.

Edouard Mathieu, head of data for the Our World in Data portal, said that - when countries’ excess mortality figures are studied - as many as nearly four times the reported death toll have likely died because of the pandemic.

"Confirmed deaths represent a fraction of the true number of deaths due to Covid, mostly because of limited testing, and challenges in the attribution of the cause of death,” Mr Mathieu told The Associated Press.

"In some, mostly rich, countries that fraction is high and the official tally can be considered to be fairly accurate, but in others it is highly underestimated."