Washington: Pushed by the Omicron coronavirus variant, the US COVID-19 death toll hit 900,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, less than two months after the country surpassed 800,000 fatalities.
Friday’s milestone comes 13 months into a US vaccination drive that has been beset by misinformation and political strife, though the jabs have proved safe and highly effective at preventing serious illness and death.
While the brutal Omicron wave is easing its grip on the US – with new cases of COVID-19 falling in 49 of the country’s 50 states – deaths are running at more than 2,400 per day on average, the highest level since the last northern winter.
