The milestone of 700,000 deaths from Covid-19 worldwide has been crossed while the threat of an uncontrolled resumption of the epidemic looms. In total, 700,489 deaths have been recorded worldwide out of 18,547,833 declared cases (10,889,745 people are considered cured). Europe remains the most affected region with 211,365 dead.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 700,000 people worldwide since its discovery in China in December, according to an AFP count from official sources on Wednesday at 6:55 GMT. In total, 700,489 deaths have been recorded worldwide out of 18,547,833 declared cases (10,889,745 people are considered cured). Europe remains the most affected region with 211,365 dead.

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Almost half of global deaths have been recorded in the four most affected countries: the United States (156,806), Brazil (95,819), Mexico (48,869) and the United Kingdom (46,299). The death toll from Covid-19 has doubled since May 26 and 100,000 more deaths have been detected in just under three weeks.