Global COVID-19 death toll exceeds 2 million

(Reuters) – The worldwide coronavirus death toll topped 2 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as countries around the world try to procure multiple vaccines and detect new variants of COVID-19.

It took nine months for the world to register the first million deaths from the novel coronavirus, but only three months to go from 1 million to 2 million deaths, illustrating an accelerating death rate. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

So far, in 2021, deaths have averaged over 11,900 a day, or one life lost every eight seconds, according to a Reuters tally.

“Our world has reached a heartbreaking milestone,” said United Nations chief Antonio Guterres in a video statement.

“Behind this staggering number, there are names and faces: the smile is just a memory, the forever empty seat at the dinner table, the room that resonates with the silence of a loved one” , he said, calling for more global coordination and funding for the immunization effort.

By April 1, the global death toll could approach 2.9 million, according to a forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (bit.ly/3bHmcf0)

Given the speed at which the virus is spreading due to more infectious variants, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the worst could be yet to come.

“We are entering a second year. It might even be more difficult given the dynamics of transmission and some of the issues we’re seeing, ”Mike Ryan, WHO’s senior emergency officer, said at an event on Wednesday.

The United States has the highest total number of deaths at more than 386,000 and accounts for one in four deaths reported worldwide each day. The other countries most affected are Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Together, the five countries contribute almost 50% of all COVID-19 deaths globally but only represent 27% of the world’s population. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/3qmr8d9)

Europe, the worst affected region in the world, has so far reported more than 615,000 deaths and accounts for nearly 31% of all COVID-related deaths globally.

In India, which recently passed 151,000 deaths, vaccinations are expected to begin on Saturday in an effort that authorities hope will see 300 million high-risk people vaccinated over the next six to eight months.