COVID is back in a big way: Over 350 people are dying from the coronavirus in the U.S. each week, says CDC data
Experts say that a lack of vaccinations and missed treatment opportunities are two of the main reasons why these deaths keep happening.
Are people still dying from COVID?
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that COVID killed an average of 350 people every week, as per a report by GMA.
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The CDC data indicates that although the number of deaths is high, it is declining and is less than the weekly deaths observed in prior spring months as well as the peak of 25,974 deaths recorded the week ending Jan. 9, 2021.
Public health experts told ABC News that while the United States has made significant progress in recent years, high-risk groups are still at risk from COVID-19.
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"The fact that we're still seeing deaths just means it's still circulating, and people are still catching it," Dr. Tony Moody, a professor at Duke University Medical Center's infectious diseases division's pediatric department, spoke to ABC News.
A few factors, according to the experts, could be contributing to the virus's continued death toll, including low vaccination rates, declining immunity, and a lack of treatment access.
Are we using COVID treatments effectively?
According to CDC data, as of the week ending April 26, only 23 percent of adults aged 18 and older received the updated COVID-19 vaccine during the 2024–25 season.
According to the data, only 13% of children received the updated COVID vaccine during the same time period.
Weekly COVID deaths are likely a result of insufficient vaccination uptake, according to Dr. Gregory Poland, a vaccine specialist and president and co-director of the Atria Research Institute, which focuses on disease prevention. Some recipients of the vaccine, however, might not be exhibiting a healthy immune response.
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"Some individuals might have a genetic predisposition to react poorly to the vaccine. Poland told ABC News, "The more common issue is that people are immunocompromised and can't respond well."
Poland added that the chance of contracting COVID-19 increases as immunity to the vaccine wanes over time.
It is currently advised that people 65 and older get two doses of the updated COVID vaccine, spaced six months apart.
Antiviral medications, such as Paxlovid from
Pfizer
and molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, are currently available for COVID-19 patients.
Both are administered twice daily for five days and must be initiated within five days of the onset of COVID symptoms. Within seven days of the onset of COVID symptoms, the intravenous drug remdesivir must be started.
Who is most at risk now?
The elderly and those in high-risk groups are still very vulnerable. Many people don't use vaccines and antivirals correctly, which means the virus is still deadly.
According to CDC data, the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths is currently 4.66 per 100,000 in people 75 years of age and older.
FAQs
Why are COVID deaths still occurring?
Many people are not receiving updated vaccines, and some are delaying treatment, allowing the virus to spread more dangerously.
Who is most at risk right now?
Older adults, particularly those over 75, and people with weakened immune systems are still the most vulnerable.
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