U.S. Reaches COVID Milestone; More Than 900,000 Deaths

As COVID-19 related deaths are still rising in the U.S., another bleak milestone has been reached. The pandemic’s death toll now surpasses 900,000 but the nation is seeing hopeful news.

New COVID-19 cases are now falling in 49 of 50 states, and officials reported that new daily cases have significantly dropped by almost a half-million nationwide since mid-January.

Some experts are hopeful that the worst of the pandemic may have passed, others say the respite may be short-lived since the deaths age still rising in at least 35 states.

The data reflects a lag between when people are infected and when they may die from the virus, USA Today reported.

“We are guaranteed to have another variant surge,” Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. “While the current vaccines and boosters worked for omicron, they are less likely to work against future variants.”

Public health officials are still pushing for people to get vaccinated, saying vaccines prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Dr. Matthew Heinz, who is an internist in Tucson, Arizona, said he is “terrified” about the passiveness when it comes to vaccination efforts and believes it is setting the world up for a variant that is highly transmissible-like the omicron variant but also has a higher death rate.

“The mind-blowing number should be enough to sell everyone on getting the shots. And convincing reticent loved ones to do the same,” Heinz said.