US hits 'tragic milestone' of 800,000 deaths

In the United States, deaths from COVID-19 topped 800,000 on Tuesday, a once unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic, given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after vaccines became available last spring.

The number of deaths, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Atlanta and St Louis combined, or Minneapolis and Cleveland put together. It is roughly equivalent to the number of people who die each year from heart disease or stroke in the US.

It is the highest reported toll of any country. The US accounts for approximately 4 percent of the world's population, but about 15 percent of the 5.3 million known deaths from the coronavirus since the pandemic began two years ago.

A closely watched forecasting model from the University of Washington projects a total of over 880,000 reported deaths in the US by March 1.

Health officials said Omicron now accounts for around 3 percent of cases in the US, a figure that is expected to rise rapidly as has been seen in other countries.

US President Joe Biden noted what he called a "tragic milestone" on Tuesday. He again called on unvaccinated people to get shots for themselves and their children, and urged the vaccinated to get booster shots.

Agencies - China Daily