The U.S. death rate increased by 16% in 2020 — a spike driven by the coronavirus, which was the third-leading cause of death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
COVID-19 killed over 375,000 during the last calendar year. Heart disease killed about 690,000, while cancer killed 598,000, according to the CDC.
Roughly 3.35 million deaths occurred in the U.S. last year overall, for an age-adjusted rate of 828 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020 compared to 715.2 in 2019. It’s a 15.9% increase that CDC scientists blamed on the pandemic that burst into full view last March and has plagued the nation and broader world ever since.
Though down from the holiday-season peak, roughly 1,000 people are still dying from COVID-19 each day, prompting renewed warnings from federal officials about the importance of precautions such as masks as the vaccination drive unfolds.
Nearly 550,000 people have died from the coronavirus overall, when accounting for 2021 deaths.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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