Washington, Oct 02, 2021 (Lusa) – The United States today surpassed 700,000 deaths from covid-19, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States is officially by far the country with the most coronavirus deaths in the world, according to official data, ahead of Brazil and India.
It took three and a half months for the US to go from 600,000 to 700,000 deaths, driven by the rampant spread of the variant through unvaccinated Americans.
This number is considered frustrating to public health leaders and medical professionals on the front lines because the vaccines have been available to all eligible Americans for nearly six months
An estimated 70 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated.
Just over 64 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of one of the three licensed vaccines in the country, according to health officials.
Still, the delta variant outbreak is beginning to slow down and give some relief to overburdened hospitals.
Despite a slower start to their vaccination campaigns, several European countries have now far outpaced the US.
Mask wearing and vaccination remain political issues that divide many Americans. Some Republican governors, such as those in Texas and Florida, have even sought to ban mandatory masking in their states, citing protection of individual liberties.
In contrast, the state of California announced on Friday its intention to make vaccination mandatory for all eligible students, an unprecedented decision in the country.
Lusa
