In 2020 country sees biggest increase in deaths since 1918 flu pandemic
Published 6:12 am Tuesday, December 22, 2020
- Illustration of antibodies (red and blue) responding to an infection with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (purple). The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and causes a mild respiratory illness (covid-19) that can develop into pneumonia and be fatal in some cases. The coronaviruses take their name from their crown (corona) of surface proteins, which are used to attach and penetrate their host cells. Once inside the cells, the particles use the cells' machinery to make more copies of the virus. Antibodies bind to specific antigens, for instance viral proteins, marking them for destruction by other immune cells.
Marking the deadliest year in United States history, preliminary numbers show the country experienced a more than 15% increase in overall deaths this year.
As a percentage increase, the increase would mark the largest single-year increase since 1918, when the country grappled with a deadly flu pandemic.
Similarly, the increase in deaths in 2020 is in part to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 320,000 Americans, and counting.
Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary data suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019.
The increase would be about 15%, and possibly more.
