COVID-19 now No. 3 cause of death in US

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/512427-covid-19-now-no-3-cause-of-death-in-us?fbclid=IwAR18NKnBnZCj_FZczRRTmyFknIyAHj1FXo1YBzXwFPFeY-cSf9LUt8VUbxM

 

By Justine Coleman - 08/17/20 07:43 PM EDT

COVID-19 is currently the third leading cause of death in the U.S., eight months after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country. 

The coronavirus is behind only heart disease and cancer among causes of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Covid is now the No. 3 cause of death in the U.S. — ahead of accidents, injuries, lung disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and many, many other causes," Thomas Frieden, former director of the CDC, told CNN on Monday.

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The country has been recording an average of more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per day over the past three weeks, according to New York Times data.

Frieden also told CNN that the rate of deaths in the U.S. is higher than several other countries. Last week, Americans were eight times more likely than Europeans to die from coronavirus.

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