Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide passed 3 million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the latest global resurgence of Covid-19 infections is challenging vaccination efforts across the globe.
Worldwide Covid-19 deaths are rising once again, especially in Brazil and India. Health officials blame more infectious variants that were first detected in the UK and South Africa, along with public fatigue with lockdowns and other restrictions.
According to the tally, it took more than a year for the global coronavirus death toll to reach 2 million. The next 1 million deaths occurred in about three months.
Brazil is leading the daily average number of new deaths reported and accounts for one in every four deaths worldwide each day, according to a Reuters analysis
Brazil recorded a daily record 4,195 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, as well as 86,979 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
Brazil has registered more than 13 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 336,947, according to ministry data. The World Health Organisation (WHO) acknowledged the nation's dire condition due to coronavirus, saying the country is in a critical condition with an overwhelmed healthcare system.
"Indeed there is a very serious situation going on in Brazil right now, where we have a number of states in critical condition," WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove told a briefing last Thursday, adding that many intensive care units are more than 90 per cent full.
Rise in infections
India reported a record rise in Covid-19 infections on Monday, becoming the second nation after the United States to post more than 100,000 new cases in a day.
India’s worst-affected state, Maharashtra, on Monday began shutting shopping malls, cinemas, bars, restaurants and places of worship, as hospitals are being overrun by patients.
Europe, which includes 51 countries, has the highest total number of deaths at nearly 1.1 million.
Five European countries, the UK, Russia, France, Italy and Germany, constitute about 60 per cent of Europe's total coronavirus-related deaths.
The US has the highest number of deaths of any country in the world at 555,000 and accounts for about 19 per cent of all deaths due to Covid-19. Cases have risen for the last three weeks but health officials believe the nation’s rapid vaccination campaign may prevent a rise in deaths. A third of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
The total number of Covid-related deaths in Ireland is 4,718, according the Covid-19 data hub.
At least 370.3 million people or nearly 4.75 per cent of the global population have received a single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by Sunday, according to latest figures from research and data provider firm Our World in Data.
However, the WHO is urging countries to donate more doses of approved Covid-19 vaccines to help meet vaccination targets for the most vulnerable in poorer countries. – Reuters