Global Covid-19 death toll passes 5m

The global death toll from Covid-19 has passed 5 million, 19 months after the pandemic was first declared, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University. Some experts, including those from the World Health Organization, believe the true toll may be two to three times higher than official figures suggest. The number of deaths from Covid-19 far outstrip that of other viral epidemics in the 21st century and most from the 20th century, with the notable exception of the Spanish flu. The US, Brazil, India, Mexico and the UK together account for more than half of all deaths worldwide. In the last 28 days, Johns Hopkins University has logged 197,116 deaths and 11.7 million new cases around the world.