WASHINGTON — The nationwide coronavirus death toll is nearing the 1 million mark more than two years after the United States logged its first laboratory-confirmed case in January 2020.
As of 6:45 a.m. EDT Monday, cumulative coronavirus deaths in the U.S. totaled 991,254 – more than any other country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Brazil had the second-highest number of deaths with 662,891, followed by India with 522,223, Russia with 367,521 and Mexico with 324,129.
California remains the hardest-hit U.S. state, logging more than 90,000 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, the university reported early Monday. Texas, Florida and New York followed, with death tolls ranging from about 68,000 to 88,000.
Nearly 510 million coronavirus cases and more than 6.2 million deaths have been reported globally over the course of the pandemic, according to the university.
The news came as the rate of new coronavirus deaths appeared to be declining globally and domestically, according to The New York Times. As of Sunday, the world was averaging 2,778 new deaths per day, down 27% from two weeks earlier, the newspaper reported. Meanwhile, the U.S. average was 362 new deaths per day, down 36% in 14 days.
As for case counts, the world averaged 699,581 new infections per day – a decrease of 34% from two weeks earlier, the newspaper reported. The U.S. average hovered around 46,925 cases per day – an increase of about 51% over the 14-day period.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday that 66.1% of the U.S. population is considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19. About 45.6% of fully vaccinated residents have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the agency said.
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