Coronavirus deaths in US cross jarring milestone of 1,00,000

By Team Newsable | First Published May 28, 2020, 10:02 AM IST

In just under four months, more than 1,00,000 Americans are now reported to have died from the novel coronavirus, a grim milestone President Donald Trump once suggested the country would never see

Hartford (US): The US has surpassed a jarring milestone in the coronavirus pandemic with 100,000 deaths.

That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korea wars combined.

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"It is a grim milestone," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.

"It's a striking reminder of how dangerous this virus can be.” Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed over 3,50,000, with the US having the most confirmed cases and deaths by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 1,70,000 deaths, while the US reached more than 1,00,000 in less than four months.

The true death toll from the virus, which emerged in China late last year and was first reported in the US in January, is widely believed to be significantly higher, with experts saying many victims died of COVID-19 without ever being tested for it.

At the end March, the United States eclipsed China with 3,500 deaths. Now, the US has not only the highest death total, but the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, making up more than 30% of the global total.

Also read: Donald Trump blames China for coronavirus pandemic, says US is not going to take it lightly

Early on, President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the coronavirus and called it no worse than the common flu. He previously predicted the country wouldn't reach this death toll. As early as March, Dr Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, was warning that COVID-19 could claim more than 1,00,000 lives in the US.

“I think we'll be substantially under that number,” Trump said on April 10. Ten days later, he said, “We're going toward 50- or 60,000 people.” Ten days after that, “We're probably heading to 60,000, 70,000.” Critics have said deaths spiked because Trump was slow to respond, but he has contended on Twitter that it could have been 20 times higher without his actions. He has urged states to reopen their economies after months of stay-at-home restrictions.

The virus exacted an especially vicious toll on Trump's hometown of New York City and its surrounding suburbs, killing more than 21,000. At the peak, hundreds of people were dying per day in New York City, and hospitals, ambulances and first responders were inundated with patients.

The densely packed New York metropolitan area, consisting of about 20 million people across a region that encompasses the city's northern suburbs, Long Island and northern New Jersey, has been the hardest-hit corner of the country, accounting for at least one-third of the nation's deaths.

Also read: Donald Trump: India, China informed that US is ready to mediate border issue

There is no vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, though several emergency treatments are being used after showing some promise in preliminary testing. Worldwide, about a dozen vaccine candidates are starting to be tested or getting close to it. Health officials have said studies of a potential vaccine might be done by late this year or early next year.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The coronavirus was reported as a cause in about half the excess deaths, but experts also believe the virus was likely a factor in many others. Coroners caution that deaths from other causes are likely up, too, including those from drug overdoses and among people who delayed treatment for problems like heart attacks.

With agency inputs

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