US death toll passes 300,000 as vaccinations begin

The US death toll from COVID-19 topped 308,000 just as the country began dispensing vaccine shots in a monumental campaign to conquer the outbreak.

Iran PressAmerica: The start of the desperately awaited vaccine program coincided with several European countries announcing new lockdowns amid spiraling infections, highlighting how the road to ending the global pandemic is still long.

The vaccinations come at one of the darkest phases of the pandemic, with cases in the US and many other countries soaring, and health experts still struggling against vaccine skepticism, lockdown fatigue, and uneven adherence to safety rules.

The US, which has now registered 308,089 fatalities, has by far the highest national death toll.

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 73,190,00 million, while the deaths have soared to more than1,627,900.

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