An updated issue brief examines COVID-19’s effect on mortality rates, and finds that as of August 2021, COVID-19 has risen once again to number three on the list of the top ten leading causes of death in the U.S. As recently as January 2021, COVID was the number one leading cause of death, with an average of 3,066 people dying daily. Amid widespread availability of vaccines, that COVID rank had briefly dropped to the 8th leading cause of death in July 2021.
As of August 25, 2021, about 73% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.
The analysis can be found on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.
