This year’s COVID-19 death total has already surpassed that of last year

The global death toll of COVID-19 in 2021 has already surpassed the virus’ total death toll from 2020. 

Approximately 1.88 million people died of the disease worldwide last year, compared to 1.99 million this year as of June 22, according to data from John Hopkins University.

It took less than half of 2021 to reach the death toll of 2020 despite the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines across the world and lowering case rates in many western countries. 

Some nations have especially struggled this year, though, such as India, where over 200,000 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded this year.

Despite daily infections and deaths falling to record low levels, the U.S. has recorded nearly 250,000 COVID-related fatalities in 2021, largely due to a surge in cases at the start of the year. 

The U.S. still leads the world in deaths, recording 602,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

However, the once Covid-ravaged nation has gotten the pandemic under control recording fewer than 1,000 deaths per day for almost three months due to a successful vaccine rollout.

More than 65 percent American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with around half of the country’s 18 and older population being fully vaccinated.

But some experts fear another COVID-19 outbreak could be around the corner for the US.

With 35 percent of adults remaining unvaccinated, and more than half unlikely to get vaccinated at all, there is potential for the Indian ‘Delta’ variant – which is more contagious than other strain – to take hold.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci said the variant already accounts for 20 percent of active cases in the U.S., and will become the dominant strain in the country within the next few weeks.

Fauci also fears that outbreaks elsewhere in the world, where less people are vaccinated, could create problems for the U.S.

‘As long as you have virus replicating anywhere in the world, the chances of developing variants are considerable, which will ultimately come back and could perhaps negatively impact our own response,’ he told FOX Network affiliates this week. 

‘That’s one of the real prevailing arguments for why we need to make sure the whole world gets vaccinated – not just the people in the developed world.’ 

Over 2.7 billion people (22 percent) in the world have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, though more than half – 1.3 billion – of vaccinated people are concentrated in just the U.S. and China. 

Brazil (504,000) and India (391,000) have the two highest death totals other than the U.S., with the latter likely to see its death toll continue increasing due to the Delta variant.

Peru has had the worst outbreak of all nations, recording the fourth highest death total in the world (190,000) and leading in deaths per one million people (5,713) by a large margin, more than 2,000 higher than the next highest country, Hungary. 

Other South American countries, such as Colombia and Argentina, are also dealing with some of the largest COVID outbreaks in the world at the moment, as the virus is surging across the continent. 

Many African have largely remained unscathed from the virus due to quick responses from health officials and a population who were largely supportive of measures put in place to protect their communities.  

Some health experts across the world believe that the true death toll of COVID-19 may have been undercounted last year.

Excess death totals from around the world last year show that up to eight million people may have died from the pandemic last year, whether directly or indirectly.