The world went through 2 million coronavirus deaths on Friday, a staggering number that continues to rise as more contagious variants of the virus register.
The United States has had by far the highest number of deaths and cases in any country in the world, at over 390,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. It is followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
China reported its first death in May this week, as a World Health Organization (WHO) team arrived to investigate the origins of the pandemic there, after previously expressing concern that Beijing is obstructing the investigation.
China has faced control over its level of transparency regarding the outbreak and the accuracy of the number of deaths and cases.
New variants of coronavirus are now leading to an even faster spread of the virus, with strains discovered in the UK and South Africa causing great concern.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Friday that the British version could be the predominant strain in the US until March.
“The increased transmissibility of the … variant guarantees universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking,” the CDC warned.
Vaccines offer some hope of easing the pandemic, but it will be several months before they become available on a widespread basis in the United States and probably much more in other countries.
Therefore, health officials urge people to continue wearing masks and moving away from others.
“It is really important to remind people, both the government and individuals, of the responsibilities and measures we need to practice for at least the rest of this year, because even if vaccines start to protect the most vulnerable, we will not do anything. Immunity level of the population, herd immunity, in 2021, “said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan this week.