Nearly 99% of the COVID-19 deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week were not primarily caused by the coronavirus, new data shows.
According to the CDC’s COVID-19 dashboard, just 1.7% of the 324 coronavirus deaths recorded in the week ending Aug. 19 had the virus as the leading cause of death.
The data changes a bit for New York, where 2.1% of deaths from COVID-19 had the virus as the main cause.
Florida and Maryland have the highest COVID-19 death rates at 3.4%, followed by Washington at 2.4%, while Tennessee and North Carolina each reported 2%, behind New York, but above the national average.
This is a staggering difference from the peak of the pandemic in 2021, when 30% of COVID-19 related deaths had the virus cited as the main cause.
The number of weekly deaths related to COVID-19 has dropped dramatically since the peak of the pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Primary cause of death is defined as the condition, injury, disease, situation, or event that started the chain of events that resulted in the death of a person.
The CDC has not reported the leading cause of death in cases where COVID-19 was the secondary factor, but the agency’s data shows that cancer and heart disease remain the leading causes of death nationwide.
Weekly deaths from COVID-19 are at their lowest numbers since March 2020, according to CDC data.
But coronavirus cases have spiked across the country recently: New York reported a 55% increase in early August.
The surge came as a new variant, dubbed EG.5 or Eris, emerged as the dominant strain, causing about 17% of COVID cases across the country.
Florida and Maryland have the highest COVID-19 death rates at 3.4%, twice the national average. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
As new variants continue to emerge, health experts worry that we are unprepared, especially for the worst-case scenario.
New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Ashwin Vasan and other public health experts are encouraging people to get the updated booster shot when it becomes available in late September.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn