2021 on track to surpass last year as nation’s deadliest

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year. It’s too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won’t be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year’s record number of deaths by at least 15,000. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year was the most lethal in U.S. history, due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC report being released Wednesday shows 2020 was actually even worse than it previously reported, with more than 3.3 million U.S. deaths.