Geneva, March 11 (RHC)-- It's been one year since the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic.  During the past year, more than 118 million people have become infected, with over 2.6 million deaths from COVID-19 worldwide.

Central Europe is currently the worst-affected part of the world.  The Czech Republic — which has one of the highest per capita death rates from COVID-19 — has begun sending patients abroad, after intensive care units filled to capacity.  Some Czech health officials believe as much as 45% of the population has become infected over the past year.

In related news, a peer-reviewed study in The British Medical Journal found a coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K. is likely more deadly than earlier variants of the virus — causing up to twice as many deaths. 

Another recent study in the journal Science finds it’s significantly more transmissible.  The variant accounts for an estimated one in five new coronavirus infections in the U.S. this week.