By CGTN Africa
The official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing 6 million — underscoring that the pandemic, now in its third year, is far from over.
The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.
The death toll, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,996,882 as of Sunday morning and was expected to pass the 6 million mark later in the day.
The Europe region topped the list with 181,275,264 confirmed cases, while the Americas ranked second with 147,655,931 confirmed cases.
The United States, India and Brazil were the top three countries with the highest number of confirmed cases, it said.
The WHO also reported that nearly 10.6 billion vaccine doses have been administered globally as of February 27.
Global vaccine disparity continues, with only 6.95% of people in low-income countries fully vaccinated, compared to more than 73% in high-income nations, according to Our World in Data.
In a good sign, at the end of last month, Africa surpassed Europe in the number of doses administered daily, but only about 12.5% of its population has received two shots.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still pressing for more vaccines, though it has been a challenge. Some shipments arrive with little warning for countries’ health systems and others near the expiration date — forcing doses to be destroyed.
(with input from agencies)