Feb 4, 2022 - Health

U.S. COVID death toll hits 900,000

Shawna Chen

Photo of a masked person placing an electric candle in front of a white flower shrine at a COVID vigil — A memorial vigil for nursing home residents who died due to COVID on March 20, 2021 in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S.'s death toll from the coronavirus crossed 900,000 on Friday, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

Why it matters: Accelerated by Omicron, the gruesome milestone comes less than two months after the U.S. topped 800,000 COVID deaths.

The number of people who died from COVID in the U.S. now exceeds the population of Indianapolis, San Francisco or Charlotte, North Carolina, AP notes.

What they're saying: "Today, our nation marks another tragic milestone," President Biden said in a statement. "After nearly two years, I know that the emotional, physical, and psychological weight of this pandemic has been incredibly difficult to bear."

"But I also know that we carry an incredible capacity within ourselves — not only to come through our grief stronger, but to come together to protect one another."
"We now have more tools than ever before to save lives and fight this virus — with vaccines remaining our most important tool," he noted.
"We can save even more lives — and spare countless families from the deepest pain imaginable — if everybody does their part," he added, urging people to get vaccinated and boosted. "It’s free, easy, and effective — and it can save your life, and the lives of those you love."

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U.S. COVID death toll hits 900,000

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