CNBC: Official coronavirus death toll is likely an ‘underestimate’ of the true total, WHO says
“The official death toll of the coronavirus pandemic is likely lower than the true total, the World Health Organization said Monday, as reported global deaths approach 1 million. … But Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said the reported numbers likely represent an ‘underestimate’ of those individuals who have either contracted Covid-19 or died as a cause of it…” (Lovelace/Higgins-Dunn, 9/28).

Reuters: One million COVID-19 deaths ‘a very sad milestone’, but virus suppressible: WHO
“The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that one million deaths from COVID-19 was ‘a very sad milestone’, after many victims suffered ‘a terribly difficult and lonely death’ and their families were unable to say goodbye. The global coronavirus death toll rose past a million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, a grim statistic in a pandemic that has devastated the global economy, overloaded health systems, and changed the way people live…” (Nebehay, 9/29).

Reuters: Puzzled scientists seek reasons behind Africa’s low fatality rates from pandemic
“Africa’s overburdened public health systems, dearth of testing facilities, and overcrowded slums had experts predicting a disaster when COVID-19 hit the continent in February. … In May the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that 190,000 people on the continent could die if containment measures failed. Yet as the world marks 1 million COVID-19 deaths, Africa is doing much better than expected, with a lower percentage of deaths than other continents. … The continent’s case fatality count stands at 2.4%, with roughly 35,000 deaths among the more than 1.4 million people reported infected with COVID-19, according to Reuters data as at late Monday. In North America, it is 2.9% and in Europe 4.5%…” (Winning et al., 9/29).

Additional coverage of the coronavirus death toll is available from Reuters, U.N. News, and Wall Street Journal.