Here s the biggest news you missed this weekend Editors, USA TODAY © Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP A sign encourages visitors to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Santa Monica, Calif.
US nears 500,000 deaths as medical workers fight on
As the United States nears a once-unthinkable 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, a leading forecasting institute estimates at least 90,000 more Americans are likely to die from the virus by June 1. By then, the University of Washington s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects deaths could drop to less than 500 per day. However, the number could be even lower if Americans are vigilant about wearing masks. Currently, the U.S. is averaging about 2,000 deaths per day.
COVID-19 hospitalizations reach the lowest they ve been since November
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U S nears 500,000 coronavirus deaths as experts say it s critical to keep up safety measures
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5.5% of US is fully vaccinated
While vaccinations are ongoing, it s unlikely they ll help the US reach herd immunity levels any time soon.
So far, more than 42.8 million Americans have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.
More than 17.8 million people have been fully vaccinated. That s about 5.5% of the US population.
Herd immunity is reached when the majority of the population becomes immune to an infectious disease either through infection and recovery or through vaccination.
Fauci estimates between 70% to 85% of the US population needs to be immune for herd immunity to take effect against the virus.