USA: 858 people have died per day from covid 3:41
(CNN) -
What happened on Tuesday seemed impossible to many Americans six months ago.
When Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted in March that COVID-19 could kill 200,000 people in the US, skeptics criticized it, accusing it of causing fear.
But Fauci was right.
And the United States reached that grim milestone long earlier than some experts predicted.
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On average, more than 800 people have died per day from coronavirus
Since the first COVID-19 death reported in the US on February 6, more than 858 people have died per day, on average, from the disease.
Many of those victims died without their loved ones in hospital rooms.
Many others never had a proper funeral, and mourners had to mourn their dead at virtual funerals.
Covid-19 is now the second leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease, according to the Institute for Health Assessment and Metrics (IHME) at the University of Washington.
What happens next with the pandemic depends largely on personal responsibility and how willing Americans are to fight this battle together.
Coronavirus: more deaths than 5 wars combined
Covid-19 has already killed more people in the U.S. than Americans who died in battle during the five most recent wars combined: the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and the Persian Gulf War.
Losing life is like being hit by Hurricane Katrinas.
Or endure the attacks of 9/11 every day for 66 days.
And researchers project nearly 180,000 additional deaths from covid-19 by January 1.
But it does not have to be like that.
Can coronavirus deaths in the US be stopped?
"Increasing the use of masks to 95% can save almost 115,000 lives, reducing that expected number of deaths by 62.7%," said the IHME.
And the very use of the mask, physical distancing and hand washing that protect against COVID-19 can also help avoid a "twin disease" of influenza and coronavirus that could overwhelm the healthcare system.
"We have to stay strong and do the things that could slow the spread," said pediatrician Dr. Brett Giroir, the testing czar of the White House coronavirus task force.
Number 1: Wear a mask when we cannot physically distance ourselves.
Number 2: Avoid crowds.
Number 3: Hygiene.
And with smart testing, we can flatten the curve and slow the spread, ”said Giroir.
“We have a formula to reduce deaths, reduce cases.
But we all have to be disciplined and diligent to make sure we obey that every day.
