The United States has seen around 300,000 more deaths than usual since late January, with two-thirds attributable to Covid-19 and the rest due to other causes, a US government study said today.
The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that overall, an estimated 299,028 excess deaths occurred from late January through 3 October 2020, with 198,081 of them (66%) caused by Covid-19.
Excess deaths are defined as the number of people who have died from all causes, in excess of the expected number of deaths for a given place and time.
Deaths from circulatory diseases (including high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes), Alzheimer disease and dementia, and respiratory diseases all increased in 2020, the report said.