In 10 months since the start of a public health crisis that affected the lives of millions of Americans, the death toll in the country has exceeded 330,000, during what has become the deadliest month of the year, with almost 60,000 lives lost in the final weeks 2020.
The overwhelming death toll means that one in 1,000 Americans died from Covid-19.
Nearly 19 million confirmed infections were reported in 2020, with an average number of new daily cases remaining above 200,000 in the last days of the year, according to Johns Hopkins University – more than three times the peak of the outbreak’s summer in July.
In the last weeks of the year, Covid-19 became the leading cause of death in the United States. Health officials predicted a death toll of 400,000 by early next year – eclipsing American lives lost during World War II, based on projections from the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics and Assessment.
The arrival and promise of an effective vaccine, of which almost 2 million doses have already been administered, will arrive too late for thousands of current patients.
The states reported a record 120,000 patients with Covid-19 who were hospitalized on Christmas Eve, according to the Covid Tracking Project. That number broke a record that was just one day, when more than 119,000 people were hospitalized.
At Christmas, health systems reported almost 119,000 hospitalized patients.
The first coronavirus-related death reported in the United States was on February 29 in Washington state, although health officials later determined that two California residents died from Covid-19 earlier that month.
In the coming months, the death toll in the country exceeded 100,000 in May. Four months later, another 100,000 Americans died of the disease.
Eleven weeks later, with the increase in infections and hospitalizations, deaths occurred, reaching 300,000 in mid-December.
As the United States reached its last tragic milestone, millions of Americans passed through airports the week before Christmas, defying health officials’ warnings to stay home to help fight the spread of the disease.
Health officials prepared for an increase in cases and hospitalizations, as they did after Thanksgiving, when families and groups gathered to celebrate.
Donald Trump refused to sign a $ 900 billion aid package that extends $ 300 weekly federal unemployment benefits by 11 weeks and sends a one-time $ 600 direct payment to most Americans. A drop in benefits, effective December 26, could delay the much-needed relief for millions of Americans.