U.S. COVID deaths could hit 1 million mark in next few weeks


More than two years into the pandemic, the U.S. is approaching the "once-unthinkable" threshold of 1 million COVID-19 deaths, The Wall Street Journal reports Monday.
Of the 990,000 and counting death certificates recorded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "at least 90 percent list COVID-19 as the underlying cause of death," the Journal reports. The remaining 10 percent list the virus as a contributing cause of death.
The New York Times has estimated the country will arrive at the 1 million mark within the coming weeks. When independently analyzed using the current seven-day average of 376 deaths, per CDC data, The Week similarly calculated the U.S. would hit one million COVID deaths in about a month.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, experts have cautioned that the virus' exact toll is likely being underestimated in official reports, considering undiagnosed cases, especially those from early 2020, the Journal reports.
Since the start of the pandemic, almost 75 percent of all deaths have been among those at least 65 years old, the CDC has reported. The virus also hit nursing homes especially hard, a phenomenon vaccines eventually helped curb.
When the data is adjusted for age, Black and Hispanic Americans are overrepresented among COVID-19 deaths, while white Americans are underrepresented. The total number of pandemic deaths is otherwise highest for the white population, "both because it is the largest and significantly older, on average," the Journal writes.
Virus deaths also hit men harder than women, considering "men are prone to cardiovascular problems that can heighten the risks of COVID-19 infections," the Journal reports. Researchers believe there could also be a difference in how the male and female immune systems respond to the disease.
Read more on the grim milestone and the demographics of COVID-19 mortalities at The Wall Street Journal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
July 27 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Today's political cartoons include tough stains, heatwaves, and vote-losing behaviour
-
5 attention-grabbing cartoons about Trump's distraction tactics
Cartoons Artists take on a musical diversion, an NFL team by any other name, and more
-
The Coldplay affair: a cautionary tale
In the Spotlight The pair became 'the most googled people on the planet' after getting caught having an affair at a Coldplay concert
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'