More than 450,000 lives have been lost to the new coronavirus in the United States, estimates show.
The country reached the dismal milestone on Thursday night, with data from the Coronavirvus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University showing that about 456,461 lives were lost on Friday morning. Daily deaths remain high at more than 3,000 a day, estimates show.
The United States leads the world in deaths and cases, with the country registering almost 27 million cases to date, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The biggest contributor to the number of deaths in the US last month was California, which has averaged more than 500 deaths per day in recent weeks.
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Alabama is another hot spot, with the average seven-day death toll rising in the past two weeks, from 74 to 147 deaths a day. Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee also recorded a recent increase in deaths.
Infectious disease experts expect deaths to start falling soon after new cases peak in the beginning of the year. New COVID-19 deaths could decrease as early as next week, said new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who told the Associated Press that she is concerned about the effect that Super Bowl meetings will have on next year. Sunday could have.
Public health experts are watching Florida closely this week, while the Super Bowl will be played in Tampa. City leaders and the NFL are trying to ensure social distance by limiting the audience to one third of the stadium’s capacity – 22,000 people. Still, there will be parties, events in bars and clubs and other activities that bring people together.
Earlier this week, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, begged NFL fans who watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs to do so only with “their family or people who live in their home. “.
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He noted that every time the country celebrates a holiday or occasion, there is an increase in coronavirus cases.
“As much fun as it is to be together at a big Super Bowl party, now is not the time to do that,” said Fauci on Wednesday when he appeared on TODAY. “Watch the game and have fun, but do it with your family or the people in your home.”
Fox News’ Alexandria Hein and the Associated Press contributed to this report.