Global COVID-19 deaths passed 2 million Jan. 15, just about a year after the first case was reported Dec. 12 in China, according to data from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.
Here are five things to know:
1. For context, the death toll is similar to 10 of the world's largest commercial jets crashing every day for a whole year, reports CNN.
2. The U.S., along with several other countries, recorded its deadliest days of the pandemic in the past week, reports CNN.
3. It took eight months to hit 1 million global COVID-19 deaths, while the second million came in less than four months — half the time.
4. The U.S. has recorded the most COVID-19 deaths worldwide, followed by Brazil, India and Mexico.
5. Experts believe the true death toll is much higher, since those who die without a firm COVID-19 diagnosis aren't included. One analysis suggests that as many as one- fifth of COVID-19 deaths might not be recorded, Christopher Murray, MD, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at Seattle-based University of Washington, told CNN.
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