The grim record of covid deaths in the United States
The US death toll from Covid-19 has passed 800,000, a once-unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after vaccines became available last spring. The figure represents the highest reported toll of any country in the world and is likely to be even higher.
The US accounts for approximately 4% of the world’s population but about 15% of the 5.3 million known deaths from coronavirus since the outbreak began in China two years ago.The grim milestone comes as the world braces for a rise in cases of the new Omicron variant, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning it is spreading at an unprecedented rate.
The deadly milestone comes as cases and hospitalisations are on the rise again in the US, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, with the new variant Omicron posing a fresh threat. About 200 million Americans are vaccinated, or just over 60% of the population. That is well short of what scientists say is needed to keep the virus in check.