Official global death toll. From COVID-19 6 million is on the verge of eclipse – underlining that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is not over yet.
The milestone is the latest sad reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic, even as people shed masks travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the world.
The death toll, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,999,158 as of Monday afternoon.
The remote Pacific Islands, whose isolation kept them safe for more than two years, are now grappling with their first outbreak and deaths, which are highly contagious omicron type.
Nurse Marie-Laure Satta pauses during her New Year’s Eve shift at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at La Timone Hospital in Marseille, southern France, December 31, 2021. (Daniel Cole/AP)
Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths, is testing its entire population of 75 million three times this month, as it ties into mainland China’s ZeroCovid strategy
As death rates remain high in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries, more than 1 million refugees have arrived in the region from war-torn Ukraine – a country with poor vaccination coverage and high rates of cases and deaths. .
And despite its funding and vaccine availability, the United States itself is reporting 1 million deaths.
“The worldwide mortality rate is still among the highest among unvaccinated people against the virus,” said Tikki Pang, visiting professor at the National University of the Medical School of Singapore and co-chair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.
“It’s an unvaccinated disease – look at what’s happening in Hong Kong right now, the health system is crumbling,” said Pang, former director of research policy and collaboration with the World Health Organization.
“Most of the deaths and severe cases are in vulnerable, vulnerable sections of the population.”
It took the world seven months to record its first million deaths from the virus since the pandemic began in early 2020.
Another million people were killed four months later, and another 1 million were killed every three months, until the death toll reached 5 million at the end of October, now reaching 6 million. – More than the combined population of Berlin and Brussels, or the entire state of Maryland.
But despite the enormity of the figure, the world undoubtedly succumbed to its six millionth death sometime back.
Poor record-keeping and testing have led to low counts in many parts of the world coronavirus Deaths, in addition to more deaths related to the pandemic, but not from actual COVID-19 infections, such as those who died of preventable causes but could not receive treatment because hospitals were full.
Our world’s head of data at the data portal, Edouard Mathieu, said that – when countries’ mortality data are studied – the death toll due to the pandemic is likely to be nearly four times.
An analysis of excess deaths by a team from The Economist estimates the number of Covid-19 deaths to be between 14 million and 23.5 million.
“Confirmed deaths represent a fraction of the true number of deaths due to COVID, mostly because of limited testing and challenges to the cause of death,” Mathews told the Associated Press.
“In some, mostly wealthy, countries the fraction is high and the official tally can be considered fairly accurate, but in others it is greatly underestimated.”
The United States has the largest official death toll in the world, but the number has been trending downward over the past month.
Lonnie Bailey lost his 17-year-old nephew, Carlos Nez Jr., who contracted COVID-19 last April – the same month Kentucky opened its age group to vaccination.
The Louisville resident said the family is still suffering, including Carlos’ younger brother, who himself had to be hospitalized and still has symptoms.
The country’s aggressive reopening has been witness to them.
“It is difficult for us to let our guards down; It’s going to take us a while to adjust,” Bailey said.
The World Health Organization reported this week that the world has more than 445 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and there has been a recent decline in new weekly cases in all regions except the western Pacific, which includes China, Japan. and South Korea. ,
Although the overall figures seeing their first outbreaks in Pacific islands are small compared to larger countries, they are significant among their small populations and threaten to overwhelm fragile health care systems.
Katie Greenwood, head of the Red Cross Pacific delegation, said, “Given that we are aware of COVID…
Tonga reported its first outbreak since the virus arrived with international aid ships following a tsunami after a massive volcano erupted on 15 January.
It now has several hundred cases, but – with 66% of its population fully vaccinated – it has so far reported people suffering mostly mild symptoms and no deaths.
The Solomon Islands saw the first outbreak in January and now have thousands of cases and more than 100 deaths.
Greenwood said the actual death toll was likely much higher, as the capital’s hospital is overwhelmed and many people are dying at home.
Only 12% of Solomon Islanders are fully vaccinated, although the outbreak has given new impetus to the country’s vaccination campaign and 29% now have at least one shot.
According to Our World in data, global vaccine disparity continues, with only 6.95% of people in low-income countries fully vaccinated, compared to more than 73% in high-income countries.
In a good sign, at the end of last month Africa surpassed Europe in the number of doses administered per day, but only about 12.5% of its population has received two shots.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still pushing for more vaccines, although this has been a challenge. Some shipments come with little warning to countries’ health systems and others – nearing the expiration date – forcing the dose to be destroyed.
Eastern Europe has been particularly badly hit by the Omicron variant, and with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a new risk has emerged as hundreds of thousands of people flee overcrowded trains to places like Poland.
Health officials there are offering free vaccinations to all refugees, but not getting them tested on arrival or quarantined.
“This is really sad because extreme stress has a very negative effect on natural immunity and increases the risk of infection,” said Anna Boron-Kazmarska, a Polish infectious disease specialist.
“They’re under a lot of stress, they’re afraid for their lives, their kids’ lives, they’re family members.”
Mexico has reported 300,000 deaths, but with little testing, a government analysis of death certificates puts the real number closer to 500,000. Still, the falling infection rate for four weeks has made health officials optimistic.
In India, where the world was stunned by images of open-air pyres of bodies being burnt as crematoriums, the scars are fading as the number of new cases and deaths slow.
India has recorded more than 500,000 deaths, but experts believe its real toll is in the millions, mainly delta version,
Migrants from India’s vast hinterland are now returning to their metropolitan cities in search of jobs, and the roads are clogged with traffic.
Shopping malls have customers, even if they are still masked, while schools and universities are welcoming students after a month-long hiatus.
In the UK, infections have declined since the Omicron-driven surge in December, but remain high. England The U.S. has now lifted all restrictions, including the mask mandate and the requirement that everyone who has tested positive is isolated at home.
With around 250,000 deaths, the African continent’s small death toll is thought to stem from under-reporting as well as a generally younger and less mobile population.
“Africa is a big question mark for me, as it has relatively survived the worst it has ever been in, but it may just be a time bomb,” Pang said, noting its low vaccination rate. .
In South Africa, Soweto resident Thokko Dubey said he received news of the death of two family members in a single day in January 2021 – a month before the country got its first vaccines.
It has been difficult, but “the family is coping,” she said. “We’ve accepted it because it’s happening to other families.”