The United States has hit a grim milestone 700,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Oct.2 (UPI) — The United States has hit a grim milestone 700,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The country hit the figure Friday as the demand for new vaccinations neared its lowest point since they were introduced in December, ABC News reported. Less than two weeks ago, the death toll from COVID-19 surpassed the 1918 influenza outbreak, making it the deadliest pandemic in U.S. history, according to a count compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The COVID-19 death toll is also higher in the United States than the death toll from cancer last year, higher than the number of U.S. troops who have died in all battles since the Revolution, and about the same size as the population of Boston, ABC News noted. Together, the country’s four largest states, California, New York, Texas and Florida, have accounted for a third of the total COVID-19 deaths, and each have reported more than 50,000 deaths. “Heading into the winter months, we can significantly delay the next grim milestone if more people, especially those at high risk for severe illness, choose to get vaccinated,” Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist and associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told ABC News.
