In this July 21, 2020, file photo, pall bearers carry a casket with the body of Lydia Nunez, who died from COVID-19, after a funeral service at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 400,000 in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been judged by public health experts to be a singular failure. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 400,000 on Tuesday in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been judged by public health experts a singular failure.
The running total of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is nearly equal to the number of Americans killed in World II. It is about the population of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tampa, Florida; or New Orleans. It is equivalent to the sea of humanity that was at Woodstock in 1969.
It is just short of the estimated 409,000 Americans who died in 2019 of strokes, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, flu and pneumonia combined.
And the virus isn't finished with the U.S. by any means, even with the arrival of the vaccines that could finally vanquish the outbreak: A widely cited model by the University of Washington projects the death toll will reach nearly 567,000 by May 1.
While the Trump administration has been credited with Operation Warp Speed, the crash program to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines, Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat, mocked masks, railed against lockdowns, promoted unproven and unsafe treatments, undercut scientific experts and expressed scant compassion for the victims.
Even his own bout with COVID-19 seemed to leave him unchanged.
The White House defended the administration.
“We grieve every single life lost to this pandemic, and thanks to the president’s leadership, Operation Warp Speed has led to the development of multiple safe and effective vaccines in record time, something many said would never happen," said White House spokesman Judd Deere.
President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Wednesday.
The nation reached the 400,000 milestone in just under a year. The first known deaths from the virus in the U.S. were in early February 2020, both of them in Santa Clara County, California.
While the count is based on figures supplied by government agencies around the world, the real death toll is believed to be significantly higher, in part because of inadequate testing and cases inaccurately attributed to other causes early on.
It took four months to reach the first 100,000 dead. It took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000.
Former 'Real Housewives of New York' star Dorinda Medley is introducing a premium small-batch bourbon, named after her iconic Massachusetts home, Bluestone Manor. The reality TV star joins Cheddar News to talk about her new book, returning to the 'RHONY' franchise, and her new bourbon.
With the new year right around the corner, people are starting to set lofty goals for 2022. However, research shows that very few people actually attain their new year's goals, and with the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, it may be even tougher this year. Sandee Sgarlata, expert happiness coach and author of 'Happiness Solved,' joined Cheddar News to offer tips on how to actually help your 2022 resolutions stick.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, breaks down the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump; Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, discusses why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Woodstock Bus.'
Nick DiBella, Senior Vice President of Operations for Sun Outdoors, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why transforming into an outdoor hospitality company was so crucial at this time, the evolution of outdoor travel, and what this means for the future of the travel industry.
Jen Young, Outdoorsy co-founder and CMO, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the travel industry trend towards RVs and camper vans, and how the evolution of work-from-home culture has caused it to jump.
'West Side Story' is off to a slow start, the film debuted with $10.5 million. Thom Geier, executive editor at the Wrap, joins Cheddar News to discuss the movies people should be looking forward to and the overall state of the industry.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day, 'Yolo Trade.' Yolo Trade: (noun) derived from the acronym 'You Only Live Once.' Describes a trade where someone goes all in on a stock.
