GENEVA, May 05 (AFP)— The COVID-19 pandemic killed between 13.3 million and 16.6 million people in 2020 and 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated on Thursday (May 5) - up to triple the number of deaths attributed directly to the disease.

The WHO's long-awaited estimate of the total number of deaths caused by the pandemic - including lives lost to its knock-on effects - finally puts a number on the broader impact of the crisis.

"New estimates from the World Health Organization show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic between Jan 1, 2020, and Dec 31, 2021, was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million)," the United Nations health agency said in a statement.