Well-Being Longevity

US coronavirus fatalities hit 50,000 today — and WHO chief says ‘worst is yet ahead of us’

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The Washington Post’s disease tracker shows more than 50,000 have died in the U.S. already, and says more than 3,100 people died in the U.S. on Thursday alone. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, “the worst is yet to come.”

Approximately 880,812 Americans have reportedly contracted the virus, the highest case number across the globe. Reuters notes that on average, coronavirus infections have caused roughly 2,000 deaths every day this month. 


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This staggering figure is likely lower than the actual amount of cases in the country due to testing shortages as well as insufficient monitoring and data to confirm exactly how many people have been infected with the virus. 

A new report issued earlier this week confirmed that the coronavirus spread among Americans before testing revealed it was a public health crisis. The results indicate that much of the transmission that occurred resulted in asymptomatic infections that went untested. 

The death toll of 50,000 outpaces some fatality rates of influenza, depending on the specific year. Retuers cites the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and notes that during the 2011-2012 year, the flu killed 12,000 people, whereas the 2017-2018 year resulted in a high 61,000 fatalities. 



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