More people have died from Covid-19 already this year than in all of 2020, according to official counts, highlighting how the global pandemic is far from over even as vaccines beat back the virus in wealthy nations. It took less than six months for the globe to record more than 1.88 million Covid-19 deaths this year, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data collected by Johns Hopkins University. The university’s count for 2021 edged just ahead of the 2020 death toll on Thursday.

These numbers underscore how unevenly the pandemic spread around the globe, often hitting poorer nations later, but before they had access to the vaccines that have benefited Europe and the U.S. That pattern has led to a worsening divide between developed and developing nations as President Biden and the leaders of the other Group of Seven advanced economies prepare to gather in England to discuss next steps in the pandemic response.

While Western nations such as the U.S., Canada and the U.K. celebrate low caseloads and declining deaths thanks to mass vaccinations, the intensified pandemic in parts of Asia and Latin America propelled global deaths higher.

“We are living through our worst moment since the start of the pandemic,” Argentine President Alberto Fernández said late last month.

His country is facing its longest and most severe wave, with well over 500 people dying of Covid-19 on average every day. The government has implemented new lockdowns that are among the most stringent in South America, including the closing of commerce and restrictions on drivers, as well as the suspension of classes and religious ceremonies.

The current burden of Covid-19 marks a reversal for rich and poor nations. At the turn of the year, Europe and North America accounted for 73% of daily cases and 72% of daily deaths as the virus roared back during fall and winter. Now, South America, Asia and Africa account for more than 80% of daily cases and three-quarters of daily deaths, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of figures compiled by the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data project.

The numbers collected by Johns Hopkins reflect official counts of Covid-19 deaths from nations around the world, adding up to a global tally that recently topped 3.7 million. Patchy recording of Covid-19 cases and deaths means the true toll is likely substantially higher, disease experts say.

The good news is the globe’s seven-day average for officially reported new deaths has been trending lower in recent weeks. The average is also still at historically high levels, only recently slipping back below 10,000 deaths a day, which is a level not reached until late last year. For about two weeks starting in late January, nations around the world averaged more than 14,000 deaths a day.