Wednesday marked the deadliest day in the pandemic so far, with nearly 3,500 deaths reported.
Below are the names and brief stories of 20 people recently killed by the virus — including the newly elected Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, a pioneering surgeon, and the first Black country superstar.
Charley Pride played music. William Norwood performed live-saving surgeries. Rosemary Shinohara worked long nights at the newsroom, picked blueberries, ran triathlons, and read mystery novels. Veronica Gutierrez, age 29, liked puzzles.
They all died of COVID-19, their deaths reported this week amid a tragic and unprecedented surge in infections and fatalities across the US. The US recorded nearly 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in the last seven days alone.