The official death toll due to COVID-19 since the first recorded death in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 10, 2020, passed 5 million on Nov. 1, although The New York Times stresses that's a vast undercount. The WHO points to Europe as the latest hot spot.
"Experts say that five million is an undercount," writes Daniel E. Slotnik on Nov. 1. "Many countries are unable to accurately record the number of people who have died from Covid-19, like India and African nations; experts have questioned the veracity of data from other countries, like Russia."
Denis Nash, an epidemiologist at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy... said the true global toll could be as high as twice the reported figure.
The U.S. reached its own coronavirus milestone on Nov. 3 when deaths reached 750,000. With 4.25% of the world's population, the U.S. accounts for 15% of recorded global deaths. Brazil is next with almost 610,000 deaths, followed by India with over 460,000 recorded deaths on Nov. 8, according to The New York Times global tracker.
Infections – another milestone
A week later, on Monday, Nov. 8, "[g]lobal COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism," report Roshan Abraham and Rittik Biswas for Reuters.
The daily average number of cases has fallen by 36% over the past three months, according to a Reuters analysis, but the virus is still infecting 50 million people worldwide every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
By contrast, it took nearly a year to record the first 50 million COVID-19 cases.
The Washington Post's global coronavirus tracker shows "How the U.S. compares to other regions."
European hot spot
"The World Health Organization warned that a surge of coronavirus cases in Europe and Central Asia has pushed the region back as the epicenter of the pandemic," reported Corinne Gretler for Bloomberg News on Nov. 4.
“According to one reliable projection, if we stay on this trajectory, we could see another half a million Covid-19 deaths in Europe and Central Asia by Feb. 1 next year,” Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, said at a media briefing on Thursday.
"Infections are still rising in 55 out of 240 countries [Worldometer tracks 204], with Russia, Ukraine and Greece at or near record levels of reported cases since the pandemic started two years ago, according to a Reuters analysis," add Abraham and Biswas.
Eastern Europe has among the lowest vaccination rates in the region. More than half of all new infections reported worldwide were from countries in Europe, with a million new infections about every four days, according to the analysis.
As previous posts detailing high transmission in Israel, the U.K., and Singapore indicate, high vaccination levels do not prevent outbreaks
"In Germany, too, despite much higher levels of vaccination , the infection rate rose to its highest level since the start of the pandemic and doctors said they would need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope," add Abraham and Biswas.
With 67% of its population fully vaccinated, according to The New York Times tracker (in the U.S., it is 58%), hospitalizations, just under 4 per 100,000 residents over a week, according to the Associated Press, remain well below the peak last Christmas of 15.5.
End may be in sight
Just as the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization on March 11 last year, they will be the organization that declares an end to it.
"Health experts are optimistic that many nations have put the worst of the pandemic behind them thanks to vaccines and natural exposure, although they caution that colder weather and upcoming holiday gatherings could increase cases," add Abraham and Biswas for Reuters.
"We think between now and the end of 2022, this is the point where we get control over this virus ... where we can significantly reduce severe disease and death," Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist leading the World Health Organisation, told Reuters on Nov. 3.
That timeline stands in sharp contrast to Van Kerhove's prior assessment in a related post just two months into the pandemic when she told NPR, "Typically, it takes years, up to 10 years, to develop a vaccine." As she observed then and now, gaining control means entering the endemic phase of COVID-19, i.e., living with the coronavirus.
Related posts:
- The World's Highest Rates of Coronavirus Infections and Deaths, March 22, 2021
- Coronavirus Daily Deaths Top 4,000 in U.S, January 11, 2021
- Looking Ahead and Way Back as the U.S. Passes 200,000 Coronavirus Deaths, September 28, 2020
FULL STORY: The official global virus death toll has passed five million. The full count is undoubtedly higher.
Second Anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic
March 11 marked the second anniversary of WHO's declaration of the pandemic and the beginning of its third year. Cases continue to plummet in the U.S. and plateau globally while war in Europe has overshadowed the virus that has killed 6 million.
COVID Deaths: U.S. in a League of its Own
An analysis by The New York Times compares current and cumulative COVID deaths in the U.S. to other large, wealthy countries. Data analyzed include vaccination, age and obesity levels, and public trust, all factors that influence outcomes.
Nation's Capital Is #1 COVID Hotspot
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per capita in the District of Columbia are higher than in any state or U.S. territory on New Year's Day. Only Puerto Rico and Louisiana have seen hospitalizations increase faster than D.C. in the last two weeks.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
