Global COVID-19 deaths estimated to reach 5.3 million by December
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The IHME’s forecasts distinguish between officially reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths attributed to the illness. This also includes unreported fatalities
As per the projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the world will see 5.3 million reported deaths and 12 million excess fatalities by December as the delta variant drives a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The institute expects deaths to peak at the beginning of September then slowly decline afterwards, it said in a report published Friday.
The IHME’s forecasts distinguish between officially reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths attributed to the illness. This also includes unreported fatalities.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 infections recorded worldwide passed 200 million on Thursday, an AFP count showed, as the pandemic surges around the world, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where the Australian city of Melbourne locked down again.
The Delta variant has been running rampant in Southeast Asia, with Thailand recording 20,000 new daily cases for the first time on Wednesday, and again on Thursday.
The country also announced 160 deaths in 24 hours, as exhausted morgue workers struggle to cope with the mounting bodies.
"I've seen our personnel faint quite a few times lately so fatigue is definitely starting to set in and we're almost at our limits," forensic scientist Thanitchet Khetkham told AFP.