US Deaths From CCP Virus in 2021 Surpass 2020 Total: Data

A registered nurse cares for COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2021. Mario Tama/Getty Images

More Americans have died so far in 2021 with COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP virus, than in all of 2020, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University.

As of Oct. 6, the United States has seen 353,000 deaths this year, the university said. That surpasses the death toll of 352,000 in the 10 months following the first outbreaks of the disease in March 2020. About 44 million cases have been reported across the United States, according to the university, although that figure doesn’t account for individuals who contracted the virus but never tested for it.

But cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have trended lower in recent days, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The seven-day average for cases on Oct. 5 was about 97,000, whereas the seven-day average on Sept. 28 was about 110,000, the CDC’s daily tracker reports.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Oct. 6 that all regions on Earth except Europe reported a decline in the number of new CCP virus cases. The number of reported cases stands at 234 million since the start of the pandemic, compared to about 4.8 million deaths, the WHO said.

And more than half of the world has yet to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Our World in Data.

Despite cases trending downward, municipalities and large corporations have continued to issue or propose vaccine mandates.

The Los Angeles City Council on Oct. 6 voted to approve an ordinance that requires numerous businesses to force customers to show proof they’re vaccinated for COVID-19—described as one of the strictest mandates in the United States.

Now, individuals attempting to enter indoor restaurants, movie theaters, salons, shopping centers, gyms, sports arenas, museums, spas, indoor government facilities, malls, restaurants, and bars will have to present proof of vaccination. Individuals with a medical or religious exemption will have to show a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours.

Unvaccinated people attempting to use city government services will be provided with “alternative arrangements for access to government services,” including online or outdoor services, or providing proof of a negative test to enter, according to the ordinance.

Elsewhere, vaccine passport systems have been implemented in New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, whereas entire countries such as France, Israel, and several others have mandated them for different activities.

The Delta variant is now the dominant strain around the globe and has been reported in 187 out of 194 World Health Organization member countries, the organization said last week.

Reuters contributed to this report.