Global death toll from COVID-19 officially tops 4 million

The number of people in the world who have died of COVID-19 surpassed four million on Wednesday, The Associated Press reports, citing data compiled from official sources by Johns Hopkins University.
"The tally of lives lost over the past year and a half," AP notes, "is about equal to the number of people killed in battle in all of the world's wars since 1982, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. The toll is three times the number of people killed in traffic accidents around the globe every year. It is about equal to the population of Los Angeles or the nation of Georgia. It is equivalent to more than half of Hong Kong or close to 50 percent of New York City. Even then, it is widely believed to be an undercount because of overlooked cases or deliberate concealment."
The COVID-19 vaccines have helped curb the number of new cases and fatalities — about 7,900 people are dying each day now, versus more than 18,000 a day at the pandemic's peak in January — but vaccine distribution is grossly uneven. Many African countries are just starting their vaccination drives, and vaccines are scarce in South America, which accounts for about 40 percent of daily COVID-19 deaths. Even in nations with high vaccination rates, however — Britain, Israel, and the U.S. — the more contagious Delta variant is spreading fast. The vaccines appear effective against the Delta strain, so the global challenge now involves racing to put shots in arms before that variant — or a more vaccine-resistant one — hits an area.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Art Review: Hilma af Klint's What Stands Behind the Flowers
Feature Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Sept. 27
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor
-
'There will be a market incentive to build wind and solar anyway'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor
-
Children's health has declined in the US
The Explainer It's likely a sign of larger systemic issues
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
Children's breakfast cereals are getting more unhealthy
Under the radar Your kids may be starting their day with more than a spoonful of sugar
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots