May 16, 2022

American Covid Death Toll Hits One Million

The nation has reached a grim milestone as more than 1 million lives have now been lost to the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. That includes more than 150,000 nursing home residents, as the facilities’ close quarters enabled the virus to spread more quickly there. Health care workers, first responders, and essential workers have also been disproportionately affected.

In February, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported more than 200,000 deaths after combining resident and staff fatalities.

A major reason for the unsettling statistics in older adults is the fact that they are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems, making Covid far deadlier than in younger people when an infection occurs.

Overall nearly 740,000 seniors have died from Covid, or 1 out of every 100 seniors in the country. About 75 percent of all Covid deaths in the United States have been people 65 and older, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The figures are extra alarming given that seniors were among the first people to be vaccinated and the most likely age group to have received the vaccine.

“The Covid pandemic is clearly not over. Unfortunately it remains a very serious threat, especially to seniors,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “Please follow the advice of your doctor and the CDC regarding precautions you can take, vaccinations and booster shots.”