More than 1 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19 since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The global tally hit 1,000,555 just after 8 p.m. EDT Monday.
With more than 205,000 deaths, the U.S. leads the world with the most fatal coronavirus cases, followed by Brazil, India and Mexico, according to Johns Hopkins.
The grim toll attributed to COVID-19 in nine months is far more than the 690,000 deaths from AIDS or the 400,000 deaths from malaria in all of 2019. It’s trending just behind the 1.5 million deaths from tuberculosis.
New spikes in coronavirus cases have prompted officials in several countries to consider reinstating lockdowns aimed at containing the virus. Officials in France, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates have ordered bars, restaurants and cafes in hard-hit areas to close or operate with restrictions as cases continue to rise. In Russia, officials have asked elderly people in Moscow to stay home and asked employers to allow as many employees to work from home as possible.
Speaking Monday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned that the U.S. was “not in a good place” for containment of COVID-19 as more people move indoors for the cooler fall and winter months.
“There’s certainly parts of the country that are doing well,” Fauci said. “But ... there are states that are starting to show uptick in cases and even some increases in hospitalizations in some states. And, I hope not but, we very well might start seeing increases in deaths.”
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/RBF8en28xI
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 28, 2020
He added Monday that, “The numbers globally are very serious.”
On Friday, World Health Organization officials said that the global death toll from COVID-19 could double to 2 million before an effective vaccine is widely available, Reuters reported.
Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said that “unless we do it all” the idea of 2 million deaths from the coronavirus “is not only imaginable, but sadly very likely.”
“We are not out of the woods anywhere,” Ryan said, according to Reuters.
As of Monday, more than 33.1 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide. Officials in the U.S. have reported the highest number of cases, with more than 7.1 million, followed by India, Brazil and Russia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
