Topline
More than 900,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University, a bleak milestone as the country continues to battle a surge of cases fueled by the omicron variant.
Medical personnel move a deceased patient to a refrigerated truck serving as make shift morgues at … [+]
Key Facts
The death toll stood at 900,334 late Friday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins, as coronavirus fatalities have been rising since early January.
The seven-day rolling average of coronavirus deaths was at 2,962 Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins, up 85% from about five weeks ago.
New infections have dropped significantly, with the seven-day average at 380,285 on Thursday, down 53% from its peak on January 12, but hospitalizations and deaths have lagged the changes in the volume of new cases.
Tangent
Mississippi and South Carolina have the highest Covid-19 fatality rates in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. On Friday, both reported 11 daily coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people on a seven-day rolling average, followed by Ohio (9), Tennessee (7.9) and Missouri (7.8).
Key Background
With a total of 76.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases, the U.S. has both the most infections and the most deaths of any country. Pandemic deaths in the U.S. peaked in January of last year, according to the CDC, which recorded a seven-day rolling average of 3,422 deaths per day on January 13, 2021.
Further Reading
U.S. Covid Deaths Hit Highest Level In 11 Months (Forbes)
U.S. Passes 800,000 Covid Deaths — These States Have Led The Country (Forbes)
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/02/04/us-covid-deaths-top-900000-on-omicron-surge/