BANGKOK — The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 6 million.

The tragic number confirmed Monday is believed to be a vast undercount and shows that the pandemic in its third year is far from done. It's also a reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.

The last million deaths of the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University were recorded over the last four months. That's slightly slower than the previous million, but it highlights that many countries are still struggling with the coronavirus.

Overall, some 450 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.

The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19, with more than 950,000 people killed by the virus across the nation. The U.S. is followed by Brazil and India, which have lost over 650,00 and 515,000 people, respectively.