Nearly two years after the country shut down due to the spread of COVID-19, the coronavirus related death toll has surpassed 800,000. The United States broke this somber barrier just days after recording its 50 millionth new case of COVID-19.
“It’s tragic on so many levels,” Dr. Helen Chu of the University of Washington told NPR.
Unfortunately, things could get even more tragic as the holiday season draws closer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the rolling seven-day average for daily COVID-19 deaths has been above 1,000 since December 3, a figure much higher than what was recorded during the summer.
Experts warn that the rolling seven-day average could continue to rise as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to rise. At this time, health officials are also unsure of how effective current vaccines are when dealing with the new variant.
“Certainly the data is concerning about the decreased effectiveness of two vaccine doses against omicron,” Chu explained to NPR.
“But booster doses seem to overcome that to a degree. And as with all the other surges, it will be the unvaccinated who will become seriously ill, hospitalized, and fill the hospitals past capacity.”
