Global COVID-19 deaths hit 5 million as Delta variant sweeps the world

FILE PHOTO: Grave diggers bury a man who, according to his son, died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as Senegal records more COVID-19 deaths, at the Christian Saint-Lazare Cemetery in Dakar, Senegal August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

(Reuters) -Worldwide deaths related to COVID-19 surpassed 5 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with unvaccinated people particularly exposed to the virulent Delta strain.

The variant has exposed the wide disparities in vaccination rates between rich and poor nations, and the upshot of vaccine hesitancy in some western nations.