America passes a grim milestone: 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths

Medical workers walk outside a special coronavirus area at Maimonides Medical Center on May 26, 2020

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 27 May 2020

The United States has officially reached a heartbreaking milestone in the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Wednesday, more than 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

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In March, the White House had warned that the U.S. might be facing between 100,000 and 200,000 coronavirus deaths even if Americans did everything "almost perfectly," as Dr. Deborah Birx said, although President Trump in April suggested the death toll could be between 50,000 and 60,000. Later, Trump said "we're going to lose" up to 100,000 people total. Reported cases and hospitalizations are still on the upswing in many states.

Every U.S. state has now begun the process of reopening their economies, even as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country stands at over 1.6 million. Experts have cautioned there may be a second wave of cases in the fall, although Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday that this is "not inevitable." Fauci previously told Congress that the United States' coronavirus death toll is likely higher than has been reported.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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