The U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed a once-unfathomable 300,000 on Monday, creating a sorrowful split screen with the immunization campaign that kicked off across the country.
Figures from Johns Hopkins University, which maintains a high-profile tracker, ticked above the mark in the late afternoon even as health workers at medical centers across the country received the first doses of Pfizer’s groundbreaking vaccine.
Health experts say the country is entering a perilous period as it waits for enough vaccine to build up population-wide immunity.
Transmission and hospitalizations are surging, presaging more deaths. Governors are begging their residents to wear their masks and avoid large gatherings, especially around the winter holidays.
New York leads the country with over 35,000 deaths, though much of the toll was accumulated during the early spring wave. Texas is second with about 24,400 followed by California and Florida at roughly 21,000 and 19,900, respectively.
North Dakota and South Dakota have recorded the most deaths per 100,000 residents in recent weeks.
The U.S. death toll is by far the worst in the world — Brazil is second at 181,000 — though many question whether other nations are as diligent or transparent in recording COVID-19 deaths.
The U.S. case-fatality rate, or share of people who test positive and then die, is steadily improving and down to 1.8%. That puts the country on better footing than places such as Mexico, at 9%, and Italy, at 3.5%.
However, the U.S. is recording about 91 deaths per 100,000 people, putting it roughly on par with Mexico (90) and France (86) but far worse than places like Germany (27), India (11) and South Korea (1.1).
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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