The coronavirus is the third-leading killer of Americans based on recent daily death tolls in the country.
The daily death toll in the United States exceeded 750 earlier this week, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee. The data leaves COVID-19 as the third-leading killer of people in the U.S. when compared to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the top leading killers of Americans were:
- Heart disease, which led to an average of 1,774 deaths per day;
- Cancers, which led to an average of 1,641 deaths per day;
- Accidents, which led to an average of 466 deaths per day;
- Chronic respiratory diseases, which led to an average of 439 deaths per day;
- And strokes, which led to an average of 401 deaths per day.
While the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consists of yearlong averages, the Trump administration has predicted that the virus could kill between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans. If the disease kills 100,000, it would be the seventh leading killer of people in the U.S. ranking just above diabetes. If the virus kills 200,000, it would hold its rank as the third leading killer of Americans behind only heart disease and cancers.
As of Wednesday, the coronavirus has infected more than 200,000 people living in the U.S. There have been more than 4,300 related deaths since the outbreak began in the U.S.
