As the United States marks the four-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, the devastating toll of the virus continues to impact millions of lives. According to recent data, 1.18 million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the U.S.
Since the start of the pandemic, over 6 million Americans have been hospitalized due to the virus, with 15,141 new hospital admissions reported weekly. Tragically, 576 deaths are still occurring weekly, adding to the staggering total of 1.18 million Americans who have died from COVID-19.
Despite the availability of vaccines, the latest statistics show that only 22.6% of adults and 13.5% of children under 18 have received the vaccine. This has resulted in thousands of children developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), with a total of 9,655 cases reported in the U.S. to date.
In addition, a concerning number of adults have developed long COVID, with 6.8% currently experiencing symptoms and 17.6% having had long COVID at some point. This equates to a staggering 17.5 million adults currently living with long-term effects of the virus, and 45.4 million who have experienced it in total.
These numbers serve as a somber reminder of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and highlight the importance of vaccination in preventing further illness and death. As the country continues to battle the virus, it is crucial for individuals to protect themselves and others by getting vaccinated and following public health guidelines.
“Social media scholar. Reader. Zombieaholic. Hardcore music maven. Web fanatic. Coffee practitioner. Explorer.”