April 17, 2023 – It is widely accepted in American society that somebody makes decisions that help prevent a fatal heart attack or reduce the chance of cancer. Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death within the United States. Yet only one line down the list of leading causes of death, in third place, is COVID-19.
The risks of COVID-19 have faded thus far from on a regular basis American life that some experts worry that folks usually are not fully aware that it stays a number one explanation for death within the United States.
“We are not presenting the data in a way that resonates with the American people,” said former White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, MD The Washington Post.
The variety of deaths from COVID is at an all-time low of about 1,300 per week(The previous low was 1,700 per week in July 2021.) But that rate remains to be high enough that folks should consider it a serious health threat, especially in the event that they produce other health problems that put them at higher risk, experts say.
“There are still people who are getting seriously ill,” Libby Hohmann, MD, who treats infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the post.
She said that being in generally good health or having been vaccinated is just not enough to think about yourself risk-free. She identified that she had recently treated two very different COVID patients, each of whom were near death. One was over 60 and had a weakened immune system, the opposite was in his 30s, previously healthy and suddenly vulnerable to heart failure.
“For most of us, this is more of a yawn right now, but … you see these people, COVID is pushing them over the cliff,” Hohmann said.
Although the CDC doesn’t yet have final data on the leading explanation for death for 2022, all signs point to COVID once more taking third place behind cancer and heart disease. The Kaiser Family Foundation think tank projected that the variety of COVID deaths in 2022 would exceed 230,000.
In 2021 CDC data found that heart disease killed nearly 700,000 people, cancer 605,000, and COVID-19 nearly 417,000. The fourth leading explanation for death was accidents, with 225,000 deaths.
A Opinion poll Last August, it was shown that Americans greatly underestimate the danger of COVID in comparison with other death risks. About half of respondents told polling firm Ipsos they didn’t know whether more people die in traffic accidents than from COVID, and 35% of respondents said they consider more people die in traffic accidents.
The CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots as an important method to protect yourself from severe disease. According to the newest CDC COVID-19 tip sheetpeople should discuss their risk level with their doctor and create a private plan. Safety measures could include wearing a mask in public, preferring to spend time outdoors or in places with good ventilation, and monitoring COVID-19 levels in your area people.