US COVID-19 deaths in 2021 surpass last year’s toll | TheHill – The Hill

The United States passed yet another sobering milestonein the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of 2021 coronavirus deathssurpassed the 2020 total.

According to the latest available data from Johns Hopkins University, theU.S. has reached at least 770,691 COVID-19 deaths over the full course fo the pandemic.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the total number of deaths involving COVID-19 in 2020 was 385,343.

That means that at least 385,348 COVID-19 deaths 15 more thanthe 2020 total have so far been recorded in 2021, andthatnumber will only risein the days and weeks to come.

In June, a Wall Street Journal analysisfound that global COVID-19 deaths in 2021 had alreadysurpassed2020 numbers. The newspaper reported at the time that 1.883 people haddied in connection with COVID-19 at that point in 2021, surpassing the global death toll of 1.88 million from 2020.

The grim U.S. milestone comes despite the fact that three COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in the country, most recently for children as young as 5 years old.

About 69 percent of the U.S. population are at least partially vaccinated, while 59 percent are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

Among that group, Americans aged 65 years and older boast impressively high vaccination rates. Nearly 100 percent of peoplein that age rangeare at least partially vaccinated, while 86 percent are fully vaccinated, per CDC data.

While the U.S. started to celebrate a decline of COVID-19 cases in September, those numbers have steadily started trending upward again. Last week, 29 states saw higher COVID-19 counts than the week prior.

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US COVID-19 deaths in 2021 surpass last year's toll | TheHill - The Hill