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.