COVID-19: The True Coronavirus Toll in the U.S. Has Already Surpassed 200,000

Across the United States, at least 200,000 more people have died than usual since March, according to a New York Times analysis of estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is about 60,000 higher than the number of deaths that have been directly linked to the coronavirus....

Counting deaths takes time and many states are weeks or months behind in reporting. The estimates from the C.D.C. are adjusted based on how mortality data has lagged in previous years. Even with this adjustment, it’s possible there could be an underestimate of the complete death toll if increased mortality is causing states to lag more than they have in the past or if states have changed their reporting systems.

But comparing recent totals of deaths from all causes can provide a more complete picture of the pandemic’s impact than tracking only deaths of people with confirmed diagnoses....

The Times's data run through July 25, 2½ weeks ago. At about 1,000 deaths per day, reported, the NYT reports 219,000 deaths through the reporting period, to which we can add about another 20,000 for the thousand additional souls extinguished every day -- half a 9/11. That's approaching a quarter million dead.

So far.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/12/us/covid-deaths-us.html

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