The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness climbed above 160.4 million on Thursday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University, while the death toll rose above 3.3 million. The U.S. continues to lead the world in cases and deaths by wide margins, with 32.8 million cases and 583,685 deaths, or about a fifth of the worldwide tallies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized the use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for use in 12- to 15-year-olds late Wednesday, paving the way for that group to start getting jabs. More than 60 million people in the U.S. have been immunized with the two-dose, mRNA vaccine developed by the two companies.
India is second to the U.S. by cases at 23.7 million and third by fatalities at 258,317, although those numbers are held to be widely undercounted as the Indian crisis has overwhelmed its healthcare system.
Brazil is third with 15.3 million cases and second by fatalities at 428,034. Mexico has the fourth-highest death toll at 219,590 and 2.4 million cases, or 15th highest tally. The U.K. has 4.5 million cases and 127,901 deaths, the fifth-highest in the world and highest in Europe.
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