COVID-19 deaths in the United States hit 41,114 Monday, according to the Bing COVID-19 Tracker. Last year, total gun deaths were 39,443. It only took 51 days for the COVID-19 deaths to become the larger number.
Gun deaths fall into three major categories, according to the Gun Death Archive. Homicides and murder accounted for 15,353. Suicides accounted for 24,090. Of the total, 209 of gun deaths were children between the ages of 0 and 11. Another 776 were teens 12 to 17. A total of 71 police officers were killed. Defensive use of guns added another 1,580, and unintentional shootings numbered 1,879.
A number of other annual death rates will be overtaken by COVID-19 deaths soon. Some 46,802 deaths were due to opioid overdoses in 2018, based on an analysis of the most recent available data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug overdose deaths totaled 67,367. COVID-19 deaths almost certainly will cross this level sometime in the fall.
COVID-19 figures are often compared to influenza. Deaths from this were 55,672 last year, according to the CDC. Deaths from diabetes totaled 83,564. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease killed 121,404 Americans, stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) killed 146,383, chronic lower respiratory diseases killed 160,201 and accidents (unintentional injuries) killed 169,936.
Not that long ago, federal officials set the possible death toll between 100,000 and 240,000, based on models at the time. It later was revised down to 60,000. However, the lower number is based on several assumptions. Social distancing is first among these. People who do not self-quarantine for the suggested 14 days also could cause a widening infection rate. The number of carriers without symptoms is still impossible to count. Blood testing is the primary reason for that. Some of these tests produce inaccurate results. For the death rate to remain below the larger forecasts, blood tests will be important.
Right now, the public is focused on the 60,000 deaths by early August estimate. It may be correct. However, the fact that the number of COVID-19 deaths has passed gun deaths in such a short time is a sign of what could happen if there is a second wave of infections, perhaps because Americans become casual about the disease again.
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