US COVID-19 deaths exceed 250,000

The number of reported deaths due to the coronavirus in the United States hit 250,000 Wednesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker.

The number of deaths exceeds National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci’s spring prediction that the U.S. would confirm 240,000 deaths due to the coronavirus disease.

At least 1,707 new deaths due to COVID-19 were confirmed Tuesday alone, the highest daily death toll since May 14.

At this rate, CNN reported, at least one person in the U.S. is dying of COVID-19 every minute of the day. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, warned that the mortality rate will increase as the weeks go on because deaths lag behind the initial infection and disease progression.