Global COVID Deaths Surpass Grim 5M Mark

A group of doctors working with patients infected with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 wear face shields at the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital de Clinicas in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on April 15, 2020.

The world’s COVID death toll has surpassed the 5 million mark less than two years since the pandemic started.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University on Monday, 5,001,817 people around the globe have died from COVID-19 to date, with the U.S. leading the world in deaths from the virus at 745,836.

Trailing the U.S. in total COVID-19 deaths is Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia. But the number of worldwide deaths is thought to be much higher due to underreporting in some nations.

Vaccine rollout in the U.S. at the end of 2020 and in other nations has slowed the rate of COVID deaths. Now the country is reporting a daily average of 1,400 deaths from the virus, USA Today reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that over 192.4 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, accounting for 58% of the U.S. population. However, about 60 million Americans are still unvaccinated.

Currently, there is no COVID vaccine available for children under the age of 12 in the U.S., but the Pfizer shot is expected to be signed off on by the CDC as soon as this week for kids aged 5 to 11.

The Moderna vaccine for children is also under review by health officials.

The Pfizer vaccine is approved for people aged 12 and older, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine is authorized for individuals aged 18 and older. All three shots have been authorized for booster doses that can be mixed and matched.

Globally, there are over 246.8 million cases of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. As many as 6 billion COVID vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.