Global COVID-19 death toll eclipses 3 million

The global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 3 million on Saturday, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University reveals.

As The Associated Press notes, the true number is believed to be higher based on suspicions that some governments have downplayed their countries' cases and fatalities, as well as the likelihood that many infections were missed early in the pandemic.

Daily deaths are on the rise again worldwide, AP writes, with the average currently sitting at 12,000. Cases are also on the upswing; World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that weekly infections have "nearly doubled over the past two months."

India and Brazil are two of the more prominent hot spots. The former has reported a record number of cases for three straight days, including more than 234,000 on Saturday. In Brazil, meanwhile, a more contagious variant is spreading throughout the country, and about 3,000 deaths are being recorded each day. That accounts for one-quarter of the world's fatalities in recent weeks, The Associated Press reports.

The increases come amid a global vaccine drive, albeit a patchy one. Some countries, including the United States, have ramped up their efforts (still, cases are stubbornly high in the U.S.), but immunization rates remain low elsewhere. Read more at The Associated Press and BBC.