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appalachiablue

(41,056 posts)
Sat Aug 1, 2020, 06:11 AM Aug 2020

'One American Now Dies From COVID-19 Every Minute' [View all]

'One American now dies from COVID-19 every minute.' Daily Kos, Friday, July 31, 2020.

For those keeping track of the many accomplishments of the Trump administration, we reached a milestone of sorts that received little attention this week: The U.S. daily total of officially recorded deaths due to the SARS-CoV2 virus is now averaging one death per every minute, nearly every day.

The United States recorded 1,456 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally, bringing total deaths to 151,229. That was Wednesday. We’re actually closer to 156,000 (official) deaths as of this writing. While tallies vary slightly depending on the specific database, the one death per minute “official death” figure has been roughly consistent over the last three days.

Of course, these are only deaths verified and recorded as caused by the COVID-19 virus. Deaths from pneumonia, heart attacks, stroke or other causes brought on by COVID-19 but occurring before the decedent was actually tested are assumed to drastically increase the death total. It is not possible to determine the total number of excess COVID-19 deaths because the COVID-19 tests actually available to medical providers and hospitals in this country are almost entirely reserved for people still alive. One JAMA Internal Medicine study published in July found that an additional 28% of the total “official” deaths could be so attributed.

For comparison purposes, approximately 1,660 Americans per day die from all forms of cancer, annually, while 1,772 succumb daily from heart disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke. With or without the additional 28% of “excess deaths” as a benchmark, COVID-19 has been a leading cause of daily deaths in this country on and off since April, with various reported daily totals regularly exceeding the deaths from heart disease or cancer, particularly during New York City’s initial outbreak.

So while the “one death per minute” figure is not unique since the start of the pandemic, it does provide a reference point for people to wrap their minds around...

More, https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/31/1965477/-U-S-Covid-19-deaths-reached-one-per-minute-this-week

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