3 million people killed by COVID-19 globally

Worldometer which also tracks the virus puts the global death toll from COVID-19 at 3,014,739 and cases at 140,630,831, TopNaija reports.

According to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, Global cases and deaths have been rising in recent weeks, prompting warnings from the World Health Organization.

“It is growing exponentially,” WHO technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said of cases on a global basis.

The United States leads the grim death statistics with over 566,000. Brazil is next with more than 368,000 deaths, followed by Mexico with over 211,000 and India with around 175,000.

Brazil has been a source of concern in recent weeks, as cases and deaths increased as a more contagious variant known as P.1 spreads.

There is also concern about India, which suffered a relapse, after months of slowing down the virus.

The world as a whole is recording about 12,000 deaths per day, despite ongoing vaccinations.

What you should know
Approximately 215 countries and territories worldwide have been affected by the COVID-19 disease. The virus is still circulating at very high rates, and many countries have reintroduced lockdown rules to slow the spread recorded over the winter months. Furthermore, fresh travel restrictions have been implemented following the discovery of new variants, particularly those first identified in the UK and South Africa.

Symptoms of the COVID-19 virus?
It can take up to 14 days for symptoms of the illness to start being noticed. The most commonly reported symptoms are a fever and a dry cough, leading to shortness of breath. The early symptoms are similar to other common viruses such as the common cold and flu. These illnesses spread more during cold months, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that temperature impacts the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Medical advice should be sought if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.