More than 5 million people have now died around the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
The tragic milestone was reached Monday morning, less than two years into the crisis that continues to take lives. Nearly 200,000 of the deaths occurred in the past 28 days.
The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19, with more than 745,800 people killed by the virus across the nation. The U.S. is followed by Brazil and India, which have lost over 607,800 and 458,400 people respectively.
The grim milestone also comes amid a worldwide vaccination effort, which is expanding in the U.S. with booster shots and the vaccination of children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in kids ages 5 to 11. Next, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to sign off on the decision, and the age group could begin vaccinations as early as this week.
Multiple COVID-19 vaccines have been available for a majority of Americans for months now. According to the CDC, about 58% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and 66.7% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Much of the world has seen a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases as the vaccines become more widely available, but number of cases and deaths increased slightly last week, the World Health Organization said Thursday, citing a spike in the European region.