Global COVID-19 death toll crosses 4 million
The global COVID-19 death toll surpassed 4 million on Wednesday, according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University.
It is widely believed to be an undercount because of overlooked cases or deliberate concealment. With the advent of the vaccine, deaths per day have plummeted to around 7,900, after topping out at over 18,000 a day in January.
However, in recent weeks, the mutant delta version of the virus first identified in India has set off alarms around the world, spreading rapidly even in vaccination success stories like the U.S., Britain and Israel.
Other countries have reimposed preventive measures, and authorities are rushing to step up the campaign to dispense shots.
The U.S. and other wealthy countries have agreed to share at least 1 billion doses with struggling countries.
The U.S. has the world’s highest reported death toll, at over 600,000, or nearly 1 in 7 deaths, followed by Brazil at more than 520,000, though the real numbers are believed to be much higher in Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right government has long downplayed the virus.
