The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has hit 1 million, less than 2½ years into the outbreak.
That is a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The figure is based on data kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to the number of Americans who died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out.
“It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. “It’s still happening and we are letting it happen.”
Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones’ voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence.
Click here to read more of this article from the Associated Press.
