The United States has reached a sad milestone: More than 1,000,000 Americans have died from coronavirus since the pandemic started two years ago.
According to numbers compiled by NBC NewsWednesday was the one-millionth COVID-19 death in the U.S.
Other measures vary on where the U.S. officially stands on COVID-19 deaths — The New York TimesFor example, the following week’s total deaths due to coronavirus is at 995,000While worldometers.com says 1.02 million peopleThe virus has claimed the lives of at least ten people in the country.
Experts warn that these are conservative estimatesThe true death toll is likely to be much higher. Indeed, other figures have been revised this week, including the WHO’s estimate of global deaths due to COVID-19, which is now believed to be around 15 million,, a tripling of the organization’s previous figure.
NBC News’s figures indicate that the daily rate at which Americans are dying from the virus has slowed compared to what it’s been in recent weeks, but it still remains in the hundreds. As of right now, approximately 360 Americans are dying each day from COVID-19.
In terms of the number of deaths, the U.S. is ahead of all other countries in the world since the pandemic. Brazil has recorded just over 660,000 deaths from COVID-related causes. NBC News reported.
Study after study shows that public health measures could have prevented many of the deaths caused by coronavirus in the U.S.
The virus itself was politicized in many ways by far right figures and former President Donald Trump. The virus’ significance was continually downplayedTrump’s administration spread conflicting accounts of the pandemic. Trump, who ran for reelection 2020, supported the practice of mask-wearing in order to limit the spread the virus His presidency was harmed by it, peddled fraudulent COVID-19 treatmentsMany of his supporters continue to support him.
Trump’s actions bred public distrust over the efficacy of vaccines. According to a recent Economist/YouGov poll, the total number of Americans receiving at least three shots of a vaccine so far — indicating they’ve received a booster shot since completing their original vaccine series — is 55 percent. Among self-identified liberals in the poll, that number is much higher, at 68 percent; among conservatives, however, it’s lower, at 50 percent.
But skepticism among conservatives isn’t the only reason why the coronavirus pandemic has been especially bad in the U.S., compared to other countries. The U.S. for-profit healthcare system is also blamed for many avoidable deaths. However, a more equitable system (such a single-payer model of health care) could have helped more people survive.
According to a report by The Lancet Last yearNearly 40% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. could be avoided if there had been a better system for health care before the pandemic began and if disinformation about the virus was limited from the former president.
