Seattle, May 7 (RHC)-- A new study from the University of Washington estimates the true toll of the pandemic is far higher than governments have reported. 

Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation say COVID-19 has caused about 6.9 million deaths worldwide, more than double the official figure. 

Topping the list is the United States, with over 900,000 estimated deaths, followed by India with more than 650,000 deaths.  The researchers projected about 600,000 deaths each in Mexico, Brazil and Russia.

In other news, India reported nearly 4,000 COVID-19 deaths Friday, with over 414,000 new infections, breaking the world record it set one day earlier. 

In India’s southwestern state of Goa, more than half of all people tested have coronavirus infections, one of the highest positivity rates of the pandemic.