One million. That's how many people have now died from COVID-19 in the U.S. since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University. It's a toll once thought unimaginable, reports NPR.
In wave after deadly wave, COVID has claimed 1 million lives in the U.S. (NPR)
Excerpt from NPR: Even though passing 1 million deaths has been widely expected for some time, the reality is still devastating. "It is terrible — horrible," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical adviser, told NPR in an interview. "To have that many people die of a transmissible disease in a two-year period — it is very sobering, and very sad and tragic." One million deaths is far more than the number of people who have died from AIDS in the U.S. since that pandemic began decades ago, and more than died from the 1918-1919 flu pandemic.
The milestone comes as White House officials are insisting that the U.S. is in a new phase of the pandemic while simultaneously predicting future surges, according to US News & World Report.
"As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember," President Joe Biden said in a statement on Thursday marking the grim milestone. "In remembrance, let us draw strength from each other as fellow Americans. For while we have been humbled, we never give up."
U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 1 Million as Country Grapples With How to Move Forward (US News & World Report)
Excerpt from US News & World Report: The development comes as mitigation strategies have fallen by the wayside for many, despite increasing infections and hospitalizations as a new omicron subvariant spreads. Calls to renew mask-wearing have largely landed on deaf ears as much of the country’s attention has shifted to worries over the economy, abortion access and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Further COVID-19 funding from Congress has proven difficult for the Biden administration to secure, even as it warns of a potential shortage of vaccines later this year without more money.
The U.S. has had more deaths per capita than Western Europe or Canada, and while new deaths have fallen, the total death count is still rising. writes The Hill.
US hits 1 million deaths from COVID-19 (The Hill)
Excerpt from The Hill: It is also expected that the United States, like other countries, has undercounted the true number of deaths from the coronavirus. An analysis from the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 234,000 U.S. COVID-19 deaths, or roughly one quarter of the total, could have been prevented if people had been vaccinated. The share is even higher, at 60 percent, of deaths since vaccines became widely available in June 2021.
Jump to this week's edition of:
World News
US News
Politics
Culture
Business
Innovation
Special Report
