Worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic Death Toll Tops 6 Million

With the pandemic now going into its third year, the worldwide COVID-19 death toll has topped six million.

The latest figure comes from the team behind the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with a subsequent report from the Associated Press highlighting that remote Pacific islands are now seeing “outbreaks and deaths” after previously being protected from such spikes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is currently at around 958,621 total reported COVID-19 deaths. Globally, that number (at the time of this writing) is now at 6,000,864.

Complex has reached out to a Johns Hopkins University rep for additional comment and will update this post accordingly.

In a statement last month marking 900,000 American deaths from COVID-19, President Joe Biden pointed to the “emotional, physical, and psychological weight” of the ongoing pandemic.

“We can save even more lives—and spare countless families from the deepest pain imaginable—if everybody does their part,” Biden, who noted that he knows “what it’s like to stare at an empty chair” at the kitchen table, said at the time. “I urge all Americans: get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated, and get your booster shot if you are eligible. It’s free, easy, and effective—and it can save your life, and the lives of those you love.

A recent study showed how many millions of children around the world have lost parents or caretakers due to the pandemic. The study in question was published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal and used mortality data from multiple countries spanning from March 2020 to last October. Per the study, an estimated 5.2 million children have lost either a parent or a caregiver.