Tuesday 05 / December / 2023
Brussels: The global death toll from the coronavirus passed the one million mark late on Tuesday, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.
COVID-19 first emerged at the turn of the year, when Chinese health authorities said they were investigating a SARS-like virus after dozens of people were struck down by a mysterious pneumonia in the city of Wuhan. At the time, few anticipated it would bring the world to a virtual standstill within weeks. Indeed, by the beginning of February, some experts were hoping the virus had reached its peak, as infections in China began to fall.
Such optimism was soon quelled, however, as France declared its first death from the coronavirus later that month.
COVID-19 then tore through Europe and the Americas and has since affected almost every country on the planet.
The number of fatalities is expected to rise significantly, with the World Health Organization predicting the toll will double unless drastic action is taken.
The United States has the highest death toll with over 200,000 fatalities, followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
