The number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpassed 700,000 on Friday, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, a figure that is nearly equivalent to the population of Washington, D.C. The U.S. recorded a total of 700,258 deaths, indicating a daily death rate exceeding a thousand, in a country where 55.7% of the population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite an initial response to the pandemic that faced severe criticism, the United States has successfully organized effective vaccination campaigns against COVID, considered among the best in the world. However, it still finds itself with the highest death toll globally, surpassing countries like India and Brazil, and it is currently experiencing a rise in infections due to the highly contagious Delta variant.
While the latest COVID waves peaked in late August globally, the virus continued to spread, particularly in the United States. Conversely, vaccination campaigns initiated by U.S. authorities, which began in December, have significantly slowed. Vaccination rates reached their peak in April, with over four million doses administered daily at times.
Mask mandates remain a significant obstacle, having turned into a political issue and a source of division among Americans. Some Republican state governors, such as in Texas and Florida, have sought to ban mandatory masks, arguing that this violates individual freedoms. On the other hand, the democratic state of California announced on Friday that COVID vaccines will be mandatory for all students.
In Washington, hundreds of thousands of white flags were placed on the grass in front of the National Mall near the White House to commemorate those who died from COVID in the United States. The total number of global deaths due to the virus since its outbreak has reached 4.8 million, according to estimates by Agence France-Presse based on official sources.
