Europe Set for Surge in Coronavirus Deaths As Spain, U.K., Italy Now Deadlier Than U.S.

Coronavirus deaths in Europe are approaching 225,900, as of Tuesday. But the death toll is expected to get worse in October and November, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.

While fears over a second wave of the outbreak remain in Europe, "It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Monday.

"It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand," Kluge told AFP, noting the outbreak "is going to finish, at one moment or another."

Kluge's warning came as several European countries, including Spain, the U.K. and Italy, were reported to have more COVID-19 deaths per capita (per one million people) than the U.S., which has 583.44 deaths per one million, according to the latest report Tuesday by the WHO.

Six of the 12 deadliest countries (according to COVID-19 fatalities per one million people) were reported to be in Europe. They include Spain, Italy, the U.K., Belgium, Andorra (a microstate bordered by France and Spain) and San Marino (a microstate enclosed by Italy), according to the latest report Tuesday by the WHO.

The U.S., which has the world's highest death toll, was outranked by 11 other countries for deaths per one million people, including five nations from South America (Peru, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador), according to the latest figures from the WHO.

The seven-day average of daily new deaths in the U.S. mostly declined from late April to early July, before slowly increasing through early August. The average daily case count has since been mostly declining again through September, according to data compiled by the Worldometer.

Countries with most COVID-19 deaths per one million people

Source: WHO, as of September 15

1. San Marino: 1,237.55 deaths per million
2. Peru: 931.34 deaths per million
3. Belgium: 856.37 deaths per million
4. Andorra: 685.95 deaths per million
5. Spain: 636.23 deaths per million
6. Bolivia: 629.14 deaths per million
7. Chile: 628.42 deaths per million
8. Brazil: 619.24 deaths per million
9. Ecuador: 619.05 deaths per million
10. U.K.: 613.2 deaths per million
11. Italy: 588.97 deaths per million
12. U.S.: 583.44 deaths per million

Europe was reported to be the deadliest region, with 11,718.62 deaths per one million people, the highest COVID-19 death toll per capita in the world, as of Tuesday, according to the WHO.

Belgium was reported to have the highest number of deaths per one million people among the European Union nations, followed by Spain, U.K. and Italy, according to the WHO report.

The seven-day average of daily new deaths in Belgium declined from mid-April, when it reached a peak, before flattening out from early July through September, according to data compiled by Worldometer.

In Italy, average daily new deaths have been decreasing since April 1, when it peaked at 809, before flattening out from late June to September, according to Worldometer.

The seven-day average of daily new fatalities in the U.K. also mostly decreased from mid-April, before mostly flattening out from mid-July, according to Worldometer.

Europe at 11,749.88 deaths per million was followed by the Americas (9,538.1), Eastern Mediterranean (1,558.3), Africa (1,162.84), Western Pacific (315.69) and Southeast Asia (195.14) regions, in the ranking of the world's deadliest regions, according to the WHO report Tuesday.

The graphics below, provided by Statista, illustrate the spread of COVID-19 cases across the globe.

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The novel coronavirus has infected over 29.3 million people globally, including more than 6.5 million in the U.S. Nearly 929,300 have died following infection, while nearly 19.9 million have reportedly recovered, as of Tuesday, according to the latest report by Johns Hopkins University.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates U.S. states with the most COVID-19 cases.