Imagine if every person in Reno, Nevada, suddenly died. That's how many lives COVID-19 has claimed in the US so far.

Medical staff wearing full PPE push a stretcher with a deceased patient to a car outside of the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center on June 30, 2020 in Houston, Texas.

Go Nakamura/Getty Images

• At least 250,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far as of Wednesday, according to data from John Hopkins University. 
• That's the equivalent of the entire population of Reno, Nevada, being entirely wiped out.
• Public health experts have warned that without mitigation, the US could see as many as 2,000 deaths each day as a result of COVID-19. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

At least 250,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far as of Wednesday, according to data from John Hopkins University. 

The death count has surpassed any previous estimates on the toll of the pandemic, and the leading US model now predicts as many as 438,941 deaths from the novel coronavirus by March 1, 2021. 

Earlier this week, the COVID Tracking Project found that an average of 1,100 Americans are dying every day from COVID-19 and weekly averages have reached an all-time high. 

Public health experts have warned that the upcoming winter months could be the most deadly of the pandemic. In the past week, the US has consistently broken records on the number of daily new cases, and experts are warning that with the winter months forcing people to congregate indoors, as many as 2,000 people could die from the virus each day, if proper mitigation efforts are not enforced, The New York Times reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/38Usfv3