Grim —Some researchers expect the death toll to reach 378,000 by the end of the year.
The US death toll from COVID-19 topped 200,000 Tuesday as daily reports of new cases still hover around 40,000 and daily deaths are in the 700s.
The grim milestone of 200,000 deaths is equivalent to the death toll from the 9/11 attacks occurring every day for 66 days. It’s also equivalent to losing about the entire population of Salt Lake City, Utah, or nearly the population of Rochester, New York. COVID-19 has killed more in the United States than the number of Americans who died in the five most recent wars combined (the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf War).
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, the COVID-19 death toll had already reached 200,541 deaths, stemming from more than 6.88 million cases. While these figures are based on data from state health authorities, the actual death toll is expected to be much higher.
“The idea of 200,000 deaths is really very sobering, in some respects stunning,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious-disease expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN.
By raw numbers, the US has the highest death toll in the world, followed by Brazil with 137,000 deaths and India with nearly 89,000. Per capita, only five countries have higher death rates: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Spain, and Brazil.
And deaths and cases are expected to continue climbing. According to a widely cited model, the US death toll is estimated to reach 378,000 by January 1, 2021—that’s an additional 178,000 in just a little over three months’ time.
In an interview with a Detroit TV station Tuesday, President Trump boasted of doing an “amazing” and “incredible” job of handling the pandemic.
Worldwide, there have been more than 31 million cases and nearly 967,000 deaths.
By Beth Mole | Read More