On January 19, the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States hit 400,000. In the past five weeks alone, 100,000 people have died. In the US today, someone dies from COVID every 26 seconds. The disease is claiming more American lives than any other condition, including heart disease and cancer. The US is now averaging more than 3,300 deaths per day, well above the worst days of the first spring surge of the pandemic.

Scientists have long anticipated that the wintertime would be the deadliest time of the pandemic. As more people spend more time inside, compounded with the pre-existing dangers of the flu and the common cold, the surge seemed inevitable. That being said, experts believe that the high death rates could have been prevented by greater enforcement of mask-wearing and a more effective vaccination plan.

Many cases come from assisted living facilities, where more than 6,000 residents died in only the first week of January. In addition, certain parts of the country have disproportionately high COVID rates. Arizona and Alabama, in particular, have experienced very high death rates, given their population. People over 65 make up the majority of deaths.