The U.S. surpassed 200,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The deaths — all of which have occurred since February — out-total the number of Americans lost to World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War combined.
The 200,000 deaths are the most of any country around the world. Brazil currently ranks behind the U.S., with about 137,000 deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins the U.S. also has among the highest COVID-19 mortality rates in the world. About 61 Americans per 100,000 have died of COVID-19. That ranks sixth in the world and in the company of countries like Spain (65.27) and Mexico (58.24)
The U.S. also leads the world with 6.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. India (5.5 million), Brazil (4.5 million) and Russia (1.1 million) are the only other countries with at least 1 million confirmed cases of the virus.
Johns Hopkins reports that daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 dropped throughout the month of August. However, case rates have ticked up throughout September, and top health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci are bracing for a difficult winter.
Earlier this month, Fauci warned that a wintertime surge could be possible as weather forces Americans indoors and cities begin relaxing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Health officials have warned that large indoor gatherings can result in COVID-19 superspreader events.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington — a model often used by the White House — currently projects that an additional 175,000 Americans will die of the virus by Jan. 1. That projection could drop to as little as 65,000 additional deaths with a universal mask mandate and could increase to as many as 225,000 additional deaths with easing restrictions.
