Global COVID-19 deaths hit 50 lakh amid Delta variant surge
Deaths linked to the coronavirus disease around the world have surpassed 50 lakh, according to a tally by Reuters, as the highly-contagious Delta variant continues to claim lives. While it took over a year for the COVID-19 death toll to reach 25 lakh, the next 25 lakh deaths were reported in less than eight months, the news agency has analyzed. Here's more.
US, Brazil, India report the highest number of deaths
In the United States, the worst-hit of all countries, COVID-19-related deaths have crossed the mark of 7,00,000. It reported an average of over 2,000 daily deaths over the past week amid a surge in cases caused by the Delta strain. Brazil has registered nearly 6,00,000 deaths from the viral disease. Meanwhile, India has reported the third-highest number of fatalities at more than 4,48,000.
8,000 COVID-19 deaths were reported daily over the last week
Globally, an average of 8,000 COVID-19 deaths were reported daily over the last week, accounting for five deaths every minute. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said the number of weekly coronavirus cases and deaths are on the decline. During the week of September 20-26, a decrease of 10% was recorded for both infections and deaths as compared to the previous week.
Delta dominant strain; detected in 187 countries
The Delta variant, which had driven India's devastating second wave of COVID-19, later spread to many other countries including the US and the United Kingdom. It is said to be the most infectious variant identified yet and may partially evade immunity generated after prior infection or vaccination. It is now the dominant strain globally and has been found in as many as 187 countries.
45% world population partially vaccinated, but poor countries suffer
Over 45% of the world population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 627 crore shots have been administered globally. However, there is a stark disparity between vaccination rates in rich and poor countries. For instance, 65% of the entire population has received at least one dose in the US while the figure for several African countries is under 1%.
