COVID drove 15% spike in US death rate in 2020

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study has found that last year was the deadliest in US history, with COVID helping to drive a 15 percent increase in deaths, Politico newspaper said, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Over 3 million people died in the US in 2020, Politico said, adding COVID-19 was the third most common cause of death, behind only heart disease and cancer.

The US has had the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world, with over 529,000 fatalities, according to the tally. The country has thus far reported more than 29 million cases.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has said the recent plateau of COVID-19 cases appeared to be trending downward, while new hospital admissions and coronavirus-related deaths were also decreasing.