Worldwide Coronavirus deaths officially passes significant milestone

Deaths from COVID-19 have now surpassed a worldwide total of 1 million. As you should expect by now, the U.S.—whose response to the pandemic at the federal level should remain an ongoing source of grave concern for citizens—is at the top of the list when breaking down the total number of deaths by country.

The latest numbers come via the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and show that the U.S. currently has more than 205,000 confirmed deaths. Meanwhile, the total number of confirmed cases in the U.S. is at 7.2 million, with the global total number of cases at more than 33 million.

One million lives have been lost to #COVID19. This milestone is a difficult moment for the whole world, but there are also glimmers of hope that give us encouragement for the weeks and months ahead. Here’s my opinion piece in the @Independent. #ACTogether https://t.co/A6ze0EcCsv

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) September 29, 2020

An extended breakdown of the latest numbers from NPR's Nurith Aizenman provides a more immersive look at how the pandemic has grown, no doubt worsened by efforts from many aimed at rushing to effectively "re-open" crowded areas. And in the States, particularly among Republicans, there remains a reckless dedication to treating simple tasks like the wearing of masks as some sort of infringement. It's not.

Though some states have managed to pull off downward trends as of late, many others—including Alabama, South Carolina, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Indiana, and more—are moving in the opposite direction.

#WearAMask in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but be sure to wear it the right way. Position your mask so that it fully covers your nose and mouth. If you’re not wearing your mask properly, #COVID19 particles can spread.

Learn more: https://t.co/iOQv5OMdKA. pic.twitter.com/Y0EBFhoGID

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 27, 2020

Speaking with Time for a piece published Monday on how the U.S. could be facing another wave of the virus as we move into colder months, Dr Tom Inglesby—director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health—warned that Americans are very far from being out of the woods as some Republican leaders would have us believe.

"The virus hasn't changed and has the capacity to spread rapidly if given a chance," he said.

In short, stop fucking with people who continue to treat this all as some sort of elaborate hoax. It's real and it isn't going away anytime soon.