The United States on Wednesday recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths since mid-May, making it the deadliest day this summer.
There were 1,503 dead, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
COVID-19 deaths are lower than their peak in April, when they reached as high as 2,000 per day in the US
But after falling for weeks in late spring, mortality rates began to rise in early July amid worsening outbreaks in the South and West.
The continuing death toll in the United States stands in stark contrast to other countries that have suppressed their outbreaks more successfully.
The European Union, whose population is more than 100 million more than the US, had just 115 deaths on Wednesday, according to statistics compiled by Our World in Data.
There have been more than 166,000 deaths in the United States from coronavirus since the pandemic began, most from every country in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Deaths are a lagging indicator, meaning that it takes time for a patient to develop symptoms and become hospitalized before they die. Some hard-hitting states have turned the corner on cases, but still see high rates of COVID-19 deaths.
Florida, for example, had a record 277 deaths on Tuesday, but has seen new cases begin to decline, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday on CBS ‘Face the Nation that the country could have up to 300,000 dead by the end of the year.
“We will certainly be somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000, and whether we are closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do and how this evolves,” he said.
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