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COVID Deaths Top 100K Annually in U.S.
8 Jan
Summary
- Over 100,000 annual COVID-19 deaths persist in the U.S.
- Older adults disproportionately affected by severe illness and death.
- Reduced reporting makes accurate COVID-19 impact tracking difficult.
COVID-19 remains a significant health threat in the United States, with new CDC estimates indicating over 100,000 deaths annually from October 2022 to September 2024. The virus continues to strain outpatient clinics and hospitals, especially during winter.
Older adults are particularly vulnerable. Between 2023 and 2024, individuals aged 65 and over represented over 17.7 percent of the population but accounted for nearly 81.2 percent of COVID-19 deaths and a significant majority of illnesses and hospitalizations.
Tracking COVID-19's impact has become more challenging since it's no longer classified as a public health emergency. Looser reporting rules, new variants, and reduced testing mean mortality figures from death certificates are a primary, though potentially incomplete, indicator.
