The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 500,000 on Monday, marking another grim milestone in the nation’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, according to a count from Johns Hopkins University.
As of Monday evening, 500,071 people have died nationwide of coronavirus-related causes. The news comes 34 days after the U.S. death toll topped 400,000 and 70 days after the death toll topped 300,000. The numbers mean an average of about 2,943 people died of coronavirus-related causes each day since Jan. 19.
The U.S. death toll remains the world’s highest, accounting for about 20% of the 2.4 million deaths reported globally.
>> Related: COVID-19 pandemic leads to drop in life expectancy in the U.S.
The country has reported the most COVID-19 cases in the world. Since the virus was first detected in the U.S. early last year, more than 28.1 million people nationwide have contracted COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins. The numbers include more than 1 million cases in five states: 3.5 million in California, 2.6 million in Texas, 1.8 million in Florida, 1.5 million in New York and more than 1.1 million in Illinois.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks Monday afternoon on the lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic. The president will also hold a moment of silence during a candle lighting ceremony scheduled for sundown Monday with first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
>> Related: Coronavirus: Daily new COVID-19 cases dip below 100,000 for first time in 3-plus months
Officials in India have reported the second-highest number of infections and the fourth-highest number of deaths behind the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. As of Monday morning, more than 11 million coronavirus infections have been reported across India, causing over 156,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.
The third-highest number of COVID-19 cases was reported in Brazil, where 10.1 million have fallen ill. The country has the second-highest coronavirus-related death toll, with over 246,500 killed by the virus.
Cox Media Group
