COVID-19 has caused the deaths of more than 5 million people worldwide since the WHO office in China reported the emergence of the disease at the end of December 2019, according to a count by Agence France-Presse on Monday based on official figures. This tally considers the deaths recorded by national health authorities, but it only represents a part of the fatalities actually associated with the coronavirus. The World Health Organization states that when considering excess deaths related to COVID-19 both directly and indirectly, the actual toll of the pandemic could be two to three times higher than the officially recorded numbers.
While the daily death toll worldwide has decreased for the first time in nearly a year to below 8,000 at the beginning of October, the situation varies across continents.
**Increase in Europe**
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference that "the overall number of COVID-19 infections and deaths is increasing for the first time in two months, due to the current rise in cases in Europe which exceeds the decline observed in other parts of the world." In the European region (52 countries and areas extending from the Atlantic coast to Azerbaijan and Russia), the increase in deaths is mainly due to the deteriorating health situation in Eastern Europe. In Russia particularly, over a thousand people die daily on average due to COVID since October 20, according to official figures. However, the authorities themselves state that this number is considered to be significantly lower than reality. Daily tallies show 239,693 deaths recorded as of November 1. The national statistics agency, Rosstat, which uses a broader definition of COVID-related deaths, indicated at the end of September a far worse toll of nearly 45,000 deaths. The Kremlin expressed concern about the stress faced by doctors treating COVID patients in Russia, as the country with the highest death toll in Europe announced a week-long holiday to curb the spread of the virus.
After Russia, Ukraine and Romania are currently the two countries in Europe registering the highest daily death tolls, with an average of 546 and 442 deaths respectively over the past seven days.
**Highest Deaths in Latin America**
Latin America and the Caribbean are the most affected regions by the pandemic in the world in terms of death toll (1,521,193 deaths since the onset of the virus). However, the current daily death toll of about 840 has been declining since May 2021. In the United States, more than 1,400 deaths have been recorded daily on average over the past seven days, a figure that is 15% lower than the previous week. With a total of 746,747 deaths, the United States is considered the country most affected by the pandemic.
In Asia, China, where the pandemic originated at the end of 2019, was the first country to widely control the outbreak starting in the spring of 2020 after implementing a series of very strict restrictions, including near-total border closures. Authorities today are trying to curb the limited rise in infections, which led to the closure of Disneyland on Monday following the recording of one case among visitors.
In Africa, the WHO warned last week that only five countries (Seychelles, Mauritius, Morocco, Tunisia, and Cape Verde) are on track to meet the global target of vaccinating 40% of the population by the end of the year. South Africa has taken the opportunity of organizing local elections to provide vaccinations at temporary clinics near polling stations.
