The U.S. was reminded of the significant human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, as the Bay Area and California lifted all but a few of its coronavirus-related restrictions.
Over 600,000 Americans had died of the virus as of Tuesday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. That total is the highest of any country in the world, over 100,000 more than Brazil and nearly 200,000 more than India.
For every 100,000 Americans, nearly 183 have died. According to Johns Hopkins’ research, that’s the fifth-highest rate of the 20 countries most affected by COVID-19. As of Wednesday, 62,534 Californians had died of COVID-19, according to state figures.
It’s possible those totals don’t account for the true toll of the pandemic.
Last month, a study from researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Human Metrics and Evaluation estimated that over 900,000 people in the U.S. had died of COVID-19. The study examined excess deaths from last March through the start of this May, attributing over 300,000 more deaths than official figures had listed when the study was released.
Death rates in the U.S. continue to fall as COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available. California, for instance, has averaged 0.04 deaths per 100,000 people over the last week, down from a high five months ago of 1.7 per 100,000.
Through Tuesday, 55.9% of Californians over the age of 12 had been fully vaccinated, and 66.4% had received at least one dose.
In Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Sonoma counties, at least 60% of those eligible have been fully vaccinated.
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