Approximately 14.9 million people have died of COVID-19 since January 2020 directly or indirectly, described as "excess mortality," according to a May 5 report from the World Health Organization.
Excess mortality refers to the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would be expected in the absence of the pandemic based on data from past years.
Eighty-four percent of the deaths are concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, with 68 percent of the deaths concentrated in 10 countries globally.
Three more pandemic updates:
1. U.S. deaths: More than 994,000 COVID-19 deaths had been reported in the U.S. as of May 5, CDC data shows. The nation's daily average for new deaths was 334. In January 2021, the daily average for deaths reached their highest levels at more than 3,000.
2. Hospitalizations: COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. are up 20 percent over the last 14 days, with a daily average of 18,181 people hospitalized as of May 6. A total of 40 states and Washington, D.C., are reporting an increase. To view a breakdown of each state reporting a rise in hospitalizations, click here.
3. Cases: The U.S. daily average for new cases May 5 was 67,953, marking a 59 percent rise from two weeks earlier, data from The New York Times shows. The rise comes as the proportion of cases involving the fast-spreading omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 have steadily increased since the start of April. The subvariant accounted for 36.5 percent of new cases for the week ending April 30, up from 16.7 percent in mid-April.