U.S. Hits 700,000 COVID Deaths Despite Free, Widely Available Vaccine

In yet another grim milestone, the United States has passed 700,000 deaths from COVID-19 despite the widespread availability of safe and effective vaccines. According to The New York Times, the recent wave of deaths is primarily attributed to the Delta variant—add that to those who refuse to get vaccinated and it’s a recipe for disaster. The CDC reports that unvaccinated people have a 10x greater risk of dying from the virus than vaccinated people. Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, calls the deaths after the vaccines’ availability to the public “absolutely needless.” Another defining characteristic of the recent wave of deaths is that the victims are younger, with those under 55 facing their highest death rate since the pandemic began.