"US COVID-19 Cumulative Cases Reach 50 Million, Deaths Hit 800,000"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has reached 50 million, with cumulative deaths totaling 800,000.

On the 12th (local time), major foreign media reported the trends of cumulative COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S., stating that approximately 450,000 people, accounting for 57% of total deaths, have died this year alone. Although free COVID-19 vaccinations have been implemented nationwide, the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and growing vaccine hesitancy have led to an increase in deaths compared to last year.

They also reported that from January to November this year, the U.S. has a higher COVID-19 death rate per capita than other countries, ranking the worst among the Group of Seven (G7) nations. The U.S. COVID-19 death rate is three times that of Canada and more than eleven times that of Japan. The U.S. ranks 30th out of 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in terms of COVID-19 deaths per capita. Compared to the European Union (EU), the rate is about 1.3 times higher.

The U.S. population accounts for about 4% of the global population, yet it accounts for 19% of reported COVID-19 cases and 14% of deaths worldwide. The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths globally, followed by Brazil and India.

Foreign media noted that it took 111 days for U.S. COVID-19 deaths to increase from 600,000 to 700,000, but only 73 days to rise from 700,000 to 800,000, indicating that the death toll is accelerating.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that COVID-19 cases surged rapidly after the Thanksgiving holiday on the 25th of last month, raising concerns among authorities ahead of the Christmas holiday. According to the international statistics site Our World in Data, as of the 12th, the average daily new cases over the past week were approximately 119,500. This is an increase from about 70,000 cases recorded on October 25th, before Thanksgiving.

U.S. health authorities, ahead of the Christmas holiday, are urging cooperation with preventive measures such as vaccination and mask-wearing to prevent a surge in infections similar to earlier this year. In early January, just after last year’s Christmas holiday, weekly deaths due to COVID-19 reached about 26,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.