O coronavirus has killed more than 2 million people worldwide since the outbreak in China in December 2019, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. The United States, with about 4% of the world population, reported about a fifth of all deaths reported globally.
About 1 million people worldwide died of coronavirus-related complications in the last three and a half months. As of Thursday, 15,404 new deaths and 752,723 new cases were reported worldwide.
In a statement, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the 2 million deaths “a heartbreaking milestone”.
“Behind this impressive number are names and faces: the smile is now just a memory, the seat is forever empty at the dinner table, the room that echoes with the silence of a loved one,” said Guterres.
Based on the most recent reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the United States with 3,882 new deaths, followed by the United Kingdom with 1,248 and Brazil with 1,131.
The United States remains the most affected country, with more than 389,000 deaths in more than 23 million cases. More than 6 million people have been declared recovered.
After the USA, the countries most affected are Brazil with more than 207,000 deaths in more than 8 million cases, India with more than 151,000 deaths in more than 10 million cases, Mexico with more than 137,000 deaths in more than 1 , 5 million cases and the UK with more than 86,000 deaths in more than 3.2 million cases.
The country with the highest number of deaths compared to its population is Belgium, with 175 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Slovenia with 149, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 134, Italy with 134 and Czech Republic with 131.
Photo by JORGE BERNAL / AFP via Getty Images
Europe in general has 646,489 deaths in 30 million cases; Latin America and the Caribbean, 542,333 deaths from nearly 17 million infections; and the United States and Canada, 406,214 deaths in 24 million cases.
Asia reported 228,967 deaths from 14,510,781 cases, the Middle East 93,132 deaths from 4,330,451 cases, Africa 76,753 deaths from 3,179,230 cases and Oceania 945 deaths from 31,443 cases.
Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA / AFP via Getty Images
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of tests carried out has greatly increased, while testing and reporting techniques have improved, leading to an increase in reported cases.
However, the number of diagnosed cases is only part of the actual total number of infections, since a significant number of less severe or asymptomatic cases always remain undetected.
While the launch of COVID-19 vaccines ramps around the world, Guterres pleaded with the world’s major economies to ensure that distribution is equitable.
“Vaccines are reaching high-income countries quickly, while the world’s poorest have none. Science is succeeding – but solidarity is failing, ”he said. “Governments have a responsibility to protect their populations, but ‘vaccinationalism’ is counterproductive and will delay the global recovery.”