Coronavirus: more than 250,000 dead in the United States

The United States on Wednesday reached the mark of 250,000 deaths attributed to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the benchmark count from Johns Hopkins University.

The country, where the epidemic has picked up significantly in recent weeks, is by far the most bereaved in the world by the disease, ahead of Brazil and India.

It also accounts alone, with more than 11 million cases, for nearly a fifth of the total number of contaminations recorded across the world since the appearance of the new coronavirus in China at the end of 2019.

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 Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Thursday, November 19 

The United States has recorded an average of more than a thousand deaths every day over the past two weeks.

Faced with this new acceleration of the epidemic, many states and metropolises have reintroduced restrictions, fearing the worst as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, usually marked by large family reunions and numerous trips across the country.

The State of New York has imposed a curfew on bars and restaurants, and will close its schools as of Thursday.

The city hall of Chicago, the third largest city in the country, has called on its residents to stay at home, except for essential travel.

Vaccines, glimmers of hope

A study by the American Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), published at the end of October, estimated the excess mortality linked to the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States at 300,000 people, based on demographic models.

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- Coronavirus vaccine: why Americans will be served first

Glimmer of hope: the announcement by the American companies Pfizer and Moderna of two very effective experimental vaccines against Covid-19, which, if they quickly received the green light from the United States Medicines Agency, could allow to proceed before the end of the year with the first vaccinations.