US passes 100,000 coronavirus deaths as states relax lockdown measures

The United States has recorded more than 100,000 deaths from Covid-19, moving past a grim milestone even as many states relax mitigation measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The US has recorded more deaths from the disease than any other country in the pandemic, and almost three times as many as the second-ranking country, Britain, which has recorded more than 37,000 Covid-19 deaths.

The latest count of fatalities is 100,047 according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Donald Trump did not immediately react to the news. On Twitter, he posted a clip of Fox New’s Lou Dobbs calling Trump “arguably the greatest president in our history”. Earlier this month, Trump said 100,000 deaths would be “horrible”, but he claimed that actions by his administration had prevented a much higher toll.

The virus has killed more Americans than the Vietnam and Korean wars combined, and the death toll is approaching that of the first world war, when more than 116,000 Americans died in combat.

The number of fatalities in the United States is still climbing, , and federal officials warn that the likely actual toll from the coronavirus is higher than the official figure.

A tracking project by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) of “excess deaths” in each state beyond seasonal averages suggests the official count of Covid-19 deaths could leave out thousands of cases.

“These deaths could represent misclassified Covid-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to Covid-19 (eg, deaths from other causes occurring in the context of healthcare shortages or overburdened healthcare systems),” the CDC said.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in the United States emerged on 20 January, in Washington state, the same day that a first case was confirmed in South Korea. Months ensued in which the White House told states they would receive minimal federal support in obtaining testing kits, ventilators, protective equipment and other gear.

The United States has increased its testing capacity but has yet to stand up a national plan for the contact tracing of positive cases, a step South Korea took immediately. That country has since recorded 269 deaths from coronavirus.

In a video, former vice-president Joe Biden expressed grief for the lives lost and condemned the administration for not acting sooner. “To those hurting, I’m so sorry for your loss,” Biden said.

Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts and former presidential candidate, struck a similar tone. “100,000 Americans are gone. They were our brothers and sisters. Our friends and neighbors,” she said. “And too many of them could have been saved if our federal government had just done more.”

Across Europe, the virus exacted a terrible toll. Eight of the 10 countries with the top per-capita rates of Covid-19 deaths are in Europe; the United States ranks ninth on that list, with about 30 deaths per 100,000 people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Britain is third, with 55.64 deaths per 100,000.

Health experts warn that the United States can expect millions more Covid-19 cases and a tragic number of deaths to come, unless the virus takes an unprecedented and unforeseen vector. With regional infection rates varying from about 5-20%, most experts believe the virus will continue to churn through the US population until the overall rate of infection is 50-60% – or until a vaccine is widely administered.