Covid death toll surpasses 4 mn globally: Reuters

Reuters reported over 4 million Covid deaths till now across the world. India and Brazil reported the most deaths each day on a seven-day average.

New Delhi: While countries speed up the inoculation exercise, Reuters has reported over 4 million Covid deaths worldwide so far. Aggravating the Covid crisis, the Delta variant turned out to be the dominant strain across the world amid vaccine shortage. Meanwhile, countries like the United States and Britain heave a sigh of relief with the decline in cases.

As per Reuters, the number of Covid deaths added up to 2 million in just 166 days. Meanwhile, the number of Covid deaths witnessed an uptick to 2 million over a year earlier. Further, data showed that the United States, Brazil, India, Russia and Mexico constitute about 50% of all deaths in the world. Upon comparing with population, Peru, Hungary, Bosnia, the Czech Republic and Gibraltar reported the highest death rates.

The pandemic has hit countries in Latin America the most since March 23, with 43 of every 100 infections in the world being reported in the region, Reuters analysis showed. Latin American countries rank top nine positions among countries reporting the most deaths per capita over the last week. Developing nations depicted a grim picture as the health sector reels with increased number of Covid cases. Crematoriums have been constrained by the soaring deaths.

Reuters analysis showed that India and Brazil reported the most deaths each day on a seven-day average. Cremation woes and lack of burial space continue to hit the nations. One in every three deaths are reported in India, data analysed across the world revealed. The World Health Organization (WHO), last month, estimated fatalities to be higher than the reports. Many health experts believe the official death toll is to be undercounted globally.

Last week, Bihar added unreported cases to the total tally of deaths, further increasing the figure. The report raised concerns over India's overall death tally. While poorer nations grapple to inoculate their populations due to vaccine shortages, wealthier nations have been asked to donate more to curb the pandemic.