Coronavirus Outbreak Deaths Surpass the 1 Million Mark Worldwide

The world hit a grim milestone this week when the global death count from the coronavirus pandemic surpassed 1 million — a number roughly equivalent to the entire population of some small countries, such as the island nation of Cyprus.

By Tuesday afternoon on the east coast, the total number of people reported dead as a result of being infected with COVID-19 was 1,003,571, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine coronavirus tracking project. In the U.S., the number of reported COVID-19 fatalities reached 205,476.

“It’s a mind-numbing figure. Yet we must never lose sight of each and every individual life. They were fathers and mothers, wives and husbands, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues. The pain has been multiplied by the savageness of this disease,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement issued Monday. “And still there is no end in sight to the spread of the virus, the loss of jobs, the disruption of education, the upheaval to our lives.

“We can overcome this challenge, but we must learn from the mistakes,” he went on to say. “Responsible leadership matters. Science matters. Cooperation matters — and misinformation kills.”

The 1 millionth death worldwide came just about a week after the U.S. marked its own milestone of 200,000 deaths.

Combined, the death rate in the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico — the top four, respectively — makes up more than half the world’s total reported COVID-19 deaths.

According to reporting by the BBC, experts around the globe caution the true count is probably much higher.

It’s been about 10 months since the coronavirus outbreak was first discovered and traced back to Wuhan, China. In that time, the deadly virus that most often attacks the respiratory system has spread to 188 other countries and resulted in 33.5 million confirmed cases.

Quarantines, curfews and lockdowns imposed in most of the affected countries as a means of stemming the spread of the virus have had severe effects on their economies, pushing some into full-fledged recession. While the economic crises appear in more stark contrast in the developed nations of the western world, they are also having a crippling effect on underdeveloped nations that were even less financially equipped to handle the unexpected pandemic.

And despite vigorous efforts in several countries to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, “the World Health Organization has warned that the death toll could hit 2 million before one is widely available,” the BBC reported this week.

Brazil has the second-highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in the world at 142,058 as of Tuesday, and the third-highest number of confirmed cases, 4.75 million, behind the U.S. and India. India has reported 6.15 million confirmed cases and 96,318 deaths.

The U.S. has recorded 7.17 million confirmed cases, which represents about one-fifth, or roughly 22% of the world’s total, The Wall Street Journal pointed out in its reporting Monday. Meanwhile, it contains just about 4% of the world’s total population, according to CNN.

Africa has reported nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and approximately 35,000 deaths, the BBC reported.

Health experts suspect the region’s “younger, less dense populations and hot, humid climates” have worked in its favor and World Health Organization officials praised the “decisive” action of many African nations in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC said.

But differences in how countries record cases and deaths, in how well those records are kept and significant differences in the number of tests available mean the actual numbers of cases and deaths in less developed nations might be much higher.

There are currently a reported 43 vaccines going through clinical trials on humans and 93 vaccines in preclinical trials under investigation and testing on animals around globally, The New York Times’ vaccine tracker said as of Tuesday.

Vaccines normally require years of research and testing before they get to the clinic, but scientists are working faster in an attempt to produce a safe and effective vaccine by 2021, the tracker said.

Most recently, the American pharmaceutical company Inovio had to halt a trial of its vaccine Monday due to “questions about the delivery device,” the Times reported.

On Tuesday, the German Center for Infection Research launched into the first phase of a vaccine trial.

And on Sept. 24, Novavax of Gaithersburg, Maryland, entered the third phase of a trial on its COVID-19 vaccine.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has been pushing for a vaccine to beat back the coronavirus outbreak to be ready before Election Day, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it is unlikely one will be widely available before mid-2021, the BBC reported, which is in line with what the World Health Organization has said.

Trump has routinely criticized widespread COVID-19 testing and regularly advocates for less of it. He has also been at odds with his administration’s own health officials regarding the timeline for a vaccine, the efficacy of wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus and the need to limit large-scale gatherings and promote social distancing.

The result has been considerable mixed messaging delivered to the nation with the world’s highest reported COVID-19 death rate.

U.N. Secretary-General Guterres, whose home country is Portugal, urged the people of the world on Monday to work together to overcome the risks posed and challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak, and to do so for the good of all people.

“As the relentless hunt for a vaccine continues — a vaccine that must be available and affordable to all — let’s do our part to save lives,” he said. “Keeping physical distance. Wearing a mask. Washing hands. As we remember so many lives lost, let us never forget that our future rests on solidarity — as people united and as united nations.

Have you lost a friend or loved one to COVID-19? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

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