Iran Press/ America: Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain, and Brazil account for one-eighth of the world's population but nearly half of all reported deaths, AP reported.
The US alone has recorded more than 740,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.
As tallied by Johns Hopkins University, the death toll is almost equal to the population of New Zealand.
According to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo, it rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death after heart disease and stroke.
The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.
Hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red.
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Moscow shuts down as Russia sees record virus cases, deaths
Now, the virus is pummelling Russia, Ukraine, and other parts of Eastern Europe, significantly where rumors, misinformation, and distrust in government have hobbled vaccination efforts. In Ukraine, only 17 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated; in Armenia, only 7 percent.
Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have more enormous proportions of older people, cancer survivors, and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens, and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.
Despite its terrifying Delta surge that peaked in early May, India now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, the US, or Britain. However, there is uncertainty around its figures.
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WHO: Africa received only 2% of vaccines distributed
Africa remains the world's least vaccinated region, with just 5 percent of the population of 1.3 billion people fully covered.
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