By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) – The US reported another grim milestone Tuesday, with the number of COVID-19 deaths surpassing 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Maryland-based school registered 400,022 deaths and an excess of 24.1 million confirmed infections since last February.
The US reached 200,000 deaths in September and 300,000 in December.
The new tally comes one day before President-elect Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated as the 46th president of the US, and he has pledged to prioritize the coronavirus crisis during his early days in office.
The Biden administration aims to implement a federal mask mandate and administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccines in 100 days in office, among other measures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted that the death toll could surpass the 400,000 mark before Inauguration Day on Wednesday.
Several states have administered vaccines since December after two drug companies — Pfizer/BionTech and Moderna — received Emergency Use Authorization from American officials.
So far, 12.2 million doses have been administered, according to the CDC. More than 31 million doses have been distributed.
When it comes to states, the virus has infected more people in California, with 3 million cases. The Golden State reports 33,700 deaths.
Texas is second with 2.1 million cases, followed by Florida with 1.5 million, New York with 1.2 million and Illinois has 1 million infections.
Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 2 million lives in 191 countries and regions.
More than 95.9 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries now exceeding 52.8 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
