One in 1,000 Americans have died from Covid-19

https://news.yahoo.com/one-1-000-americans-died-234555838.html

 

The Independent
Alex Woodward
Sat, December 26, 2020, 6:45 PM EST

Within 10 months since the onset of a public health crisis that has upended the lives of millions of Americans, the nation’s death toll has surpassed 330,000, during what has become the year’s deadliest month, with nearly 60,000 lives lost within the final weeks of 2020.

The overwhelming scale of death means that one in 1,000 Americans have died from Covid-19.

Nearly 19 million confirmed infections have been reported in 2020, with an average number of daily new cases remaining above 200,000 within the year’s final days, according to Johns Hopkins University – more than three times higher than the outbreak’s summer peak in July.

Within the final weeks of the year, Covid-19 has become the leading cause of death in the US. Health officials have forecast a death toll that could reach 400,000 early next year – eclipsing American lives lost during World War II, based on projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

The arrival and promise of an effective vaccine, of which nearly 2 million doses have already been administered, will arrive too late for thousands of current patients.

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Donald Trump has refused to sign a $900bn relief package that extends $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits for 11 weeks and send a one-time $600 direct payment to most Americans. A lapse in benefits, effective on 26 December, could delay critically needed relief to millions of Americans.