Global COVID deaths surpass 2 million: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON

Over two million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 since it was first detected just over a year ago, according to Johns Hopkins University data released Friday.

In all, the US-based school tracked 2,000,905 fatalities linked to the virus and over 93 million infections. Over 51 million people have recovered after contracting the virus.

The real death toll, as well as the number of infections, are likely significantly higher as access to testing has been scarce in a large number of countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marked what he called a "heart-wrenching milestone" as the official tally eclipsed 2 million, emphasizing that behind the figure "are names and faces: the smile now only a memory, the seat forever empty at the dinner table, the room that echoes with the silence of a loved one."

"Sadly, the deadly impact of the pandemic has been made worse by the absence of a global coordinated effort. In the memory of those two million souls, the world must act with far greater solidarity," he said in a video message.

There is hope on the horizon as several drug makers across multiple countries have developed vaccines that successive governments have authorized for emergency use.

In the US, where the outbreak has been the worst recorded in the world, health officials are distributing two vaccines from drug makers Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

Over 30 million doses of the vaccines have been distributed with more than 11 million people receiving at least one dose. Both drugs require two rounds of vaccination separated weeks apart.

WASHINGTON

Over two million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 since it was first detected just over a year ago, according to Johns Hopkins University data released Friday.

In all, the US-based school tracked 2,000,905 fatalities linked to the virus and over 93 million infections. Over 51 million people have recovered after contracting the virus.

The real death toll, as well as the number of infections, are likely significantly higher as access to testing has been scarce in a large number of countries.

There is hope on the horizon as several drug makers across multiple countries have developed vaccines that successive governments have authorized for emergency use.

In the US, where the outbreak has been the worst recorded in the world, health officials are distributing two vaccines from drug makers Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

Over 30 million doses of the vaccines have been distributed with more than 11 million people receiving at least one dose. Both drugs require two rounds of vaccination separated weeks apart.