PRAGUE (AP) — Slovakia has become the country with most COVID-19 deaths by size of population in the world. Johns Hopkins University says the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Slovakia rose from 1.68 deaths per 100,000 people on Feb. 1 to 1.78 deaths per 100,000 people on Monday. Portugal previously had the world’s highest rate of COVID-19 deaths among its population for more than three weeks but has dropped to second place with 1.48 deaths per 100,000. A Slovak epidemiologist told The Associated Press that the highly contagious coronavirus variant first found in Britain significantly contributed to the Central European country’s mortality rate. The government is preparing to tighten its rules on international travelers.
