COVID-19 deaths in Europe crossed the massive 1 million mark

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Europe’s coronavirus deaths on Monday crossed the massive one-million mark as the World Health Organization recommended that the pandemic had arrived at a “critical point.”

The death toll across Europe’s 52 nations, united by AFP from official sources, added at least 1,000,288. That is more than Latin America and the Caribbean (832,577 deaths), the United States/Canada (585,428 deaths) and Asia (285,824 deaths).

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“We are in a crucial point of the pandemic right now,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s special lead on COVID-19, told journalists on Monday.

“The trajectory of this pandemic is growing. It is increasing exponentially. This is not the point we want to be in 16 months into a pandemic, when we have proven key areas,” she said.

Disparities from country to country

According to the data collected by AFP, six nations considered for nearly 60% of all coronavirus mortality in Europe:

  • The United Kingdom 127,100 deaths;
  • Italy with 114,612 deaths;
  • Russia 103,263 deaths;
  • France 99,163 deaths;
  • Germany 78,452 deaths;
  • Spain 76,525 deaths.

But even within this group of nations, there were important differences. The United Kingdom, after showing up to 8,700 deaths in one week at the end of January, has seen the disease decline clearly in recent weeks with just 238 deaths reported in the past seven days.

The country began to ease constraints on Monday after 60% of the adult population received a first dose of vaccine.

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Other countries like Italy (3,200 deaths since last Tuesday), Russia (2,500) and France (2,200) were fighting with a deadly third wave.

According to AFP, the most affected countries in the world were in Europe regarding deaths relative to population. The Czech Republic ranked first with 261 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Hungary (245) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (228).

While Europeans make up one-ninth of the world community, deaths recorded in Europe drew more than a third of the 2.94 million victims of the pandemic cut worldwide.