The coronavirus has now killed more than 2 million people worldwide since the outbreak in China in December 2019, according to a Johns Hopkins University census. The United States, with about 4% of the world’s population, has reported about a fifth of all reported deaths worldwide.
Worldwide, approximately 1 million people have died as a result of coronavirus-related complications in the past three and a half months. Thursday, 15,404 new deaths and 752,723 new cases were recorded worldwide.
In a statement, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the 2 million deaths “a heartbreaking milestone”.
“Behind this dizzying number are names and faces: the smile is now just a memory, the chair forever empty at the dining table, the room that echoes with the silence of a loved one,” said Guterres.
Based on the latest 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 worst hit country with more than 389,000 deaths from over 23 million cases. More than 6 million people have been declared recovered.
After the US, the worst hit countries are Brazil with more than 207,000 deaths from more than 8 million cases, India with more than 151,000 deaths from more than 10 million cases, Mexico with more than 137,000 deaths from more than 1.5 million cases, and the United Kingdom with more than 86,000 deaths from more than 3.2 million cases.
The country with the highest number of deaths compared to the population is Belgium, with 175 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Slovenia with 149, Bosnia-Herzegovina with 134, Italy with 134 and the Czech Republic with 131.
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Europe has a total of 646,489 deaths out of 30 million cases; Latin America and the Caribbean, 542,333 dead from nearly 17 million infections; and the United States and Canada, 406,214 deaths out of 24 million cases.
Asia has 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.
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Since the onset of the pandemic, the number of tests performed has increased sharply, while testing and reporting techniques have improved, leading to an increase in the number of reported cases.
However, the number of cases diagnosed is only a fraction of the true total number of infections, as a significant number of less severe or asymptomatic cases always go unnoticed.
Like the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines growing around the world, Guterres pleaded with the world’s leading economies to ensure that distribution is fair.
“Vaccines reach high-income countries quickly, while the world’s poorest have none at all. Science is succeeding – but solidarity is lacking,” he said. “Governments have a responsibility to protect their populations, but ‘vaccinationalism’ is self-destructive and will delay a global recovery.”