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News > Belgium

Europe Becomes First Region to Hit 1M COVID-19 Deaths

  • Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European continent, according to a Reuters tally.

    Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European continent, according to a Reuters tally. | Photo: Twitter @jlwoods0241

Published 19 March 2021
Opinion

Countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia, remain the worst-affected based on the total number of cases and deaths.
 

On Friday, the total number of deaths linked to the Coronavirus surpassed one million in the European region. Vaccination efforts across the region are struggling to keep up with new variants spreading the third wave of infections that could once again overwhelm hospitals.

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According to a Reuters tally, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European continent since the beginning of the pandemic last year.

The region, totaling 51 countries, reports 35.5% of all coronavirus deaths and 30.5% of all world cases. These figures include Russia, the United Kingdom, the 27 members of the European Union, and other countries.

With the number of EU COVID-19, related deaths above 550,000, and less than a tenth of the population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the situation has worsened. “We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states, and we know that we need to accelerate the vaccination rates.”

The number of infections in Europe has started picking up, with France recently seeing its most significant one-day jump in cases since November. The region is currently reporting a million new infections about every six days.

As the European Union strives to meet its summer target of inoculating 70 percent of adults, at least 13 countries in the bloc have suspended or delayed using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after several reports of blood clots surfaced in people who were inoculated with this vaccine.

Countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia, remain the worst-affected based on the total number of cases and deaths.

Russia has the highest total number of COVID infections, with over 4.4 million or nearly 12 percent of all the region cases. The country has one of the highest COVID-19 fatality rates globally on a per capita basis, with about 153 deaths per 100,000 residents, behind the United States with 164 deaths for every 100,000 people.

The World Health Organization appealed to the governments not to pause vaccination campaigns; Simultaneously, the European Medicines Agency has said that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is no higher than the number seen in the general population.

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