Total number of U.S. coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and deaths as of March 7, 2021

As of March 7, 2021, the number of both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of the COVID-19 disease reported in the United States had reached almost 28.8 million with around 523 thousand deaths reported among these cases.

Coronavirus deaths by age in the U.S.

The risk of infection remains high, but daily new cases have been falling since the start of 2021. Underlying health conditions can worsen cases of coronavirus, and case fatality rates among confirmed COVID-19 patients increase with age. In New York City, the death rate for adults aged 65 to 74 is estimated to be around 824 per 100,000 people. As of February 22, 2021, there had been around 34,900 COVID-19 deaths throughout New York State.

Where has this coronavirus come from?

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses transmitted between animals and people that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The novel coronavirus that is currently infecting humans was already circulating among certain animal species. The first human case of this new coronavirus strain was reported in China at the end of December 2019. The coronavirus was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and its associated disease is known as COVID-19.