GRAVE MILESTONE
COVID DEATH TOLL IN U.S. SURPASSES 250,000
The relentless coronavirus pandemic reached another grim milestone Wednesday, with the U.S. death toll surging past 250,000 — the highest in the world.
The quarter-million marker, confirmed by Johns Hopkins University, is higher than the number of American military deaths in every conflict since the Korean War, as well as those recorded during the Civil War.
The sobering tally follows a series of alarming records across the nation of new cases and severe infections that have continued to skyrocket. The number of coronavirus hospitalizations topped 76,000 on Tuesday, the highest figure since the pandemic began. Also on Tuesday, nearly 160,000 more Americans tested positive for the virus and at least 1,707 deaths were confirmed, the highest daily death toll since May 14.
“We are in a war right now, and the virus is winning,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said at a news conference Tuesday while announcing new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
Many other states across the country have announced their own restrictions, including New York, where Gov. Cuomo banned private gatherings of more than 10 people and ordered a statewide 10 p.m. curfew for restaurants, bars and gyms. In New York City, public schools were to temporarily shut down starting Thursday amid a surge of new cases in the Big Apple.
The nationwide COVID-19 resurgence will likely disrupt most Americans’ holiday plans, but officials worry that many people will disregard health guidelines over the Thanksgiving holiday, potentially further spreading the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, urged the public to “think twice” about traveling and hosting indoor gatherings for the holidays.
“As we get into the colder weather, we should really think twice about these kind of dinner parties where you’re not sure of whether the people that are in your bubble [are safe],” he told USA Today’s editorial board Wednesday. “Then you’re going to start seeing these unanticipated infections related to innocent home gatherings, particularly as we head into the holiday season.”
The U.S. death toll is the highest in the world and remains far ahead of Brazil’s nearly 167,000 deaths and India’s 131,000. No other country has recorded more than 100,000 deaths since the pandemic began, though Mexico is quickly approaching that number.
Wednesday’s tragic total came eight months after Fauci warned the U.S. could see “between 100,000 and 200,000” deaths before the pandemic was over, a startling projection that became a reality nearly two months ago.
The number is likely to explode through the winter, experts have warned.
A recent study found that the U.S. coronavirus death toll could double, to around 500,000, by the end of February. The same study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, also found that universal mask use could slash that projection by nearly 130,000.
The first recorded case of COVID-19 in the country came in January. The first American death from the virus occurred Feb. 6, although it wasn’t confirmed until April. The death toll hit 50,000 on April 24, 100,000 on May 27, 150,000 on July 29 and 200,000 on Sept. 29.
The U.S. has more than 11 million cases overall. In February, President Trump announced the country had 15 cases, and wrongly predicted it would soon be “close to zero.”