Worldwide COVID-19 death toll is over 2 million

(Reuters) – The global coronavirus death toll surpassed 2 million on Friday, according to a Reuters count, as countries around the world try to obtain multiple vaccines and track down new COVID-19 variants.

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

So far, by 2021, there will be an average of more than 11,900 deaths per day or one life lost per eight seconds, according to a Reuters count.

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

“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,” he said, calling for greater global coordination and funding for the vaccination effort.

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

Considering how quickly the virus is spreading because of more contagious variants, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the worst could come.

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

The United States has the highest total number of deaths with more than 386,000 and accounts for one in four deaths reported worldwide on a daily basis. The next worst hit countries are Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Combined, the five countries contribute to nearly 50% of all COVID-19 deaths in the world, but represent only 27% of the world’s population. (Image: tmsnrt.rs/3qmr8d9)

Europe, the worst affected region in the world, has reported more than 615,000 deaths to date and is responsible for nearly 31% of all COVID-related deaths worldwide.

In India, where more than 151,000 people have recently died, vaccinations will begin on Saturday. Authorities hope that 300 million high-risk people will be vaccinated in the next six to eight months.