(Reuters) – The global death toll from coronavirus exceeded 2 million on Friday, according to a Reuters account, as nations around the world try to acquire multiple vaccines and detect new variants of COVID-19.
It took the world nine months to register the first 1 million deaths from the new coronavirus, but it only went from 1 million to 2 million deaths, illustrating an accelerated death rate. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)
So far, in 2021, deaths have averaged more than 11,900 per day or one life lost every eight seconds, according to a Reuters account.
“Our world has reached a heartbreaking milestone,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a video statement.
“Behind this impressive number are names and faces: the smile is now 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 coordination and funding for the vaccination effort.
On April 1, the global death toll could reach 2.9 million, according to a forecast by the Institute for Health Metrics and Assessment. (bit.ly/3bHmcf0)
Given the speed with which the virus is spreading due to more infectious variants, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the worst could come.
“We are going to a second year of this. It could be even harder considering the dynamics of transmission and some of the problems we’re seeing, ”Mike Ryan, WHO’s chief emergency officer, said during an event on Wednesday.
The United States has the highest total death toll, with more than 386,000 people, and accounts for one in four deaths reported worldwide each day. The next most affected countries are Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Combined, the five countries contribute to nearly 50% of COVID-19 deaths in the world, but only account for 27% of the world’s population. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/3qmr8d9)
Europe, the most affected region in the world, has recorded more than 615,000 deaths to date and accounts for almost 31% of all COVID-related deaths worldwide.
In India, which recently surpassed 151,000 deaths, vaccinations are expected to begin on Saturday in an effort that authorities expect to inoculate 300 million high-risk people over the next six to eight months.
Reportintg of Shaina Ahluwalia and Kavya B in Bengalaru; Additional reports from Chaithra J to Bengaluru; Edited by Lisa Shumaker, Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis