The new system applies to variants of concern -- the most troubling of which four are in circulation. AFP/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
JOHANNESBURG - COVID-19-related deaths worldwide have passed the four-million mark.
This grim milestone comes as many countries struggle to procure enough vaccines and the Delta variant becomes the dominant strain.
The five countries with the highest death tolls are the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, and Mexico.
Together they have accounted for about half of all COVID-19 deaths.
India and Brazil are reporting the most deaths each day, on a seven-day average.
Many health experts, including the World Health Organization, believe the actual death toll to be much higher than recorded.
