COVID-19 -Now #1 Cause of Death in U.S.

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S Woolf et al. JAMA. Published online December 17, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.24865: Full text: COVID-19 as the Leading Cause of Death in the United States

  • Between November 1, 2020, and December 13, 2020, the 7-day moving average for daily COVID-19 deaths tripled, from 826 to 2430 deaths per day
  • As occurred in the spring, COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death in the United States (daily mortality rates for heart disease and cancer, which for decades have been the 2 leading causes of death, are approximately 1700 and 1600 deaths per day, respectively)

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Vaccine Strategy: Nate Silver’s twitter feed suggests that after vaccination of medical personnel, focus of vaccine efforts should rely on age rather than at-risk conditions (which could affect 100 million in U.S). Using an age-based system would also be easier; it would minimize influence and wealth in the distribution of the vaccine.