Daily COVID Death Tolls Hit a Record High This Week in These 21 States

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Total confirmed coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are approaching 300,000. The average daily death toll reached 2,401 on Wednesday, the country's highest level since the outbreak began, according to data compiled by Worldometer.

Here we look at 21 states that have reported record average daily death counts in recent days, according to the statistics website.

All death data below is from Worldometer and the average death counts reflect a seven-day average of fatalities. All population data below is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

California

The average death toll in California has been rising sharply from mid-November, after declining from early August. The figure flattened out from late April to early July, before rising again through early August, according to Worldometer.

Illinois

The average death count in Illinois has been increasing sharply since early November, after declining from mid-May and flattening out from early July to early November, according to Worldometer.

Ohio

The average death tally in Ohio has also been increasing sharply from early November. The figure declined from mid-May and flattened out from mid-July to early November, according to Worldometer.

Tennessee

The average death toll in Tennessee has been rising since early July, after flattening out before then from late March, according to Worldometer.

Wisconsin

The average death tally in Wisconsin has been rising since early October, after flattening out from late March, according to Worldometer.

North Carolina

While the average death toll in North Carolina rose sharply from early late November, the figure remained flat for most of the outbreak from late April, according to Worldometer.

Indiana

The average death toll in Indiana has been increasing sharply from early October, after flattening out for months from late June. The figure rose on a steep incline from late March before declining from early May, according to Worldometer.

Minnesota

The average death tally in Minnesota has been rising sharply from early October. The figure remained flat from early July, after declining from early June, according to Worldometer.

Missouri

The average death toll in Missouri has been increasing since mid-September, after remaining flat for most of the outbreak from late March, according to Worldometer.

Alabama

The average death count in Alabama has been rising sharply since late November but remained flat for most of the pandemic from late March, according to Worldometer.

Colorado

The average death toll in Colorado sharply rose from late October, after flattening out from early July. The figure increased from late March to late April before declining through early July, according to Worldometer.

Iowa

The average death tally in Iowa saw a sharp increase from early December, after flattening out for most of the outbreak since early April, according to Worldometer.

The state reported the country's second-highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the latest report Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Oklahoma

The average death toll in Oklahoma rose sharply from mid-October, after remaining flat for months from mid-April, according to Worldometer.

Kansas

The average death tally in Kansas has been increasing on a steep incline from early October, after flattening out for most of the outbreak from early April, according to Worldometer.

In the past seven days, Kansas reported the country's fourth-highest number of deaths per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.

Nebraska

The average death count in Nebraska has been rising sharply from mid-October, after flattening out for months from late March, according to Worldometer.

Tied with Kansas, Nebraska also recorded the country's fourth-highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the CDC.

Arkansas

The average death tally in Arkansas has been increasing since early July, rising on a steep incline from early December. The figure flattened out from late March to early July, according to Worldometer.

Nevada

The average death toll in Nevada has been rising sharply since early November, after declining from late August. Before then, the figure decreased from mid-April and rose again from late June, according to Worldometer.

Idaho

The average death tally in Idaho has been increasing sharply since mid-October, after staying flat for most of the outbreak since early April. The figure rose from early July to early August and flattened out again through mid-October, according to Worldometer.

Oregon

The average death count in Oregon has been rising on a steep incline since mid-November, after remaining flat for most of the pandemic from late March, according to Worldometer.

West Virginia

The average death tally in West Virginia has been rising sharply since late October, after flattening out for months since early April, according to Worldometer.

Wyoming

The average death count in Wyoming has been rising since late October. After a brief but sharp decline from late November to early December, the figure rose sharply through the rest of December, according to Worldometer.

Houston Texas hospital COVID-19 death December 2020
Medical staff members at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas zip up a body bag containing a deceased patient in the COVID-19 intensive care unit on December 6. This week, at least 21... Go Nakamura/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 69 million people since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.

More than 1.5 million people have died worldwide and over 44.5 million have recovered as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The graphic below, produced by Statista, shows the distribution of COVID-19 deaths among the U.S. population.

COVID-19 elderly patients in U.S.
STATISTA

The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows the spread of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

COVID-19 cases across U.S.
STATISTA

About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean


Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more