( U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Amouris Coss ) NEW YORK - The U.S. has seen at least 66,000 more deaths than usual so far this year, according to government data, and the new coronavirus accounts for much -- but not all -- of the increase.
Usually the nation sees about 1 million deaths by the end of April, meaning the rise is in the neighborhood of 7%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the data this week, found the new coronavirus was reported as a cause in about half the excess deaths.
It's likely the virus was a factor in many other deaths too, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the CDC's death statistics work.