Global COVID-19 Deaths Top 3 Million

NPR | By Jeannette Muhammad

Published April 17, 2021 at 2:59 PM EDT

Relatives attend a COVID-19 victim's burial at a cemetery in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Thursday.

Global deaths from COVID-19 has surpassed 3 million, according to the latest data from John Hopkins University.

Leading in those deaths are the United States, with more than 566,000, and Brazil, with more than 368,000. They are followed by Mexico, India and the United Kingdom.

The global death toll reached 1 million in September 2020 and 2 million in January.

The grim milestone comes after health officials in the U.S. paused rollout of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women experienced rare but severe blood clots a week or two after receiving it.

Overall, more than 129 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 7.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine. More than 82 million Americans — nearly 25% of the population — have been fully vaccinated.

In Brazil, deaths have topped 3,000 per day as the country is ravaged by the virus. Mexico has recorded more than 211,000 deaths. India has had more than 175,000 deaths and deaths in the United Kingdom have topped 127,000.

COVID-19 variants are spreading throughout the U.S., with the more contagious U.K. variant, B.1.1.7, now dominant. On Friday, the Biden administration announced plans to spend $1.7 billion on combating and tracking variants.