World reaches 400,000 virus deaths as pope urges caution

Jun 08, 20200

Andrew Medichini – Associated Press count

Nuns listen to Pope Francis delivering his blessing from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, June 7, 2020. Pope Francis is cautioning people in countries emerging from lockdown to keep following authorities' rules for COVID-19 contagion containment. Says Francis: "Be careful, don't cry victory, don't cry victory too soon."

BARCELONA, Spain - The confirmed global death toll from the COVID-19 virus reached at least 400,000 fatalities on Sunday, a day after the government of Brazil broke with standard public health protocols by ceasing to publish updates of the number of deaths and infections in the hard-hit South American country.

Worldwide, at least 6.9 million people have been infected by the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University, whose aggregated tally has become the main worldwide reference for monitoring the disease. Its running counter says United States leads the world with nearly 110,000 confirmed virus-related deaths. Europe as a whole has recorded more than 175,000 since the virus emerged in China late last year.

Health experts, however, believe that the John Hopkins tally falls short of showing the true tragedy of the pandemic.

https://www.startribune.com/world-reaches-400-000-virus-deaths-as-pope-urges-caution/571083462/