Stroke mortality during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Is it getting any better?

In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China as a novel virus causing pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome [1]. As of the day the current commentary is written (September 29, 2021) globally more than 232 million confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including more than 4.7 million deaths, were reported to the World Health Organization. For most of the countries healthcare facilities have been challenged by unprecedented demands during the peaks of the pandemic, which exposed deep underlying problems and raised concerns on their ability to maintain their standards of care delivery [2].