In just a few short weeks, the United States is likely to reach an unfathomable milestone in terms of numbers: 1 million lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first death in the United States took place on Feb. 6, 2020. At current rates, we will have lost 1 million Americans in the 114 weeks, or 26 months, since the pandemic first hit our shores. In 2020 the U.S. population was 331 million. That means 1 in every 331 Americans is no longer with us.
As of March, more than 200,000 U.S. children have lost a parent, grandparent or caregiver to the pandemic, according to the COVID Collaborative website. The virus is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after only heart disease and cancer. These numbers are dizzying and truly difficult to comprehend. This level of loss is almost unfathomable.
