COVID-19 cases worldwide surpassed 200 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the more-infectious Delta variant threatens areas with low vaccination rates and strains healthcare systems.
The global surge in cases highlights the widening gap in inoculation rates between wealthy and poor nations.
It took over a year for COVID-19 cases to hit the 100 million mark, while the next 100 million were reported in just over six months, according to the analysis. The pandemic has left close to 4.4 million people dead.
The countries reporting the most cases on a seven-day average are the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, India and Iran – representing about 38% of all global cases reported each day.
Unvaccinated people represent nearly 97% of severe cases in the US, according to the White House COVID-19 Response Team.
The variant, first detected in India, is as contagious as chickenpox and spreads far more easily than the common cold or flu, the CDC said in an internal document.
