Two years into the COVID pandemic, the U.S. is grieving a once unthinkable death toll
On May 11, 2022, the United States surpassed 1 million deaths attributed to COVID-19. Over the past two years, Reuters photographers documented the human toll the virus took.
May 11, 2022, 12 p.m. GMT
The pandemic tore apart families and divided an already politically polarized nation. COVID-19 laid bare the economic inequities between white-collar workers who could work safely from home and essential workers in grocery stores, fire stations and hospitals who had to go out and risk exposure to help others each day.
Reuters photographers witnessed the devotion of doctors and nurses as they tackled a virus none of them had ever seen before. They stood beside the beds of patients sickened by the virus and unable to breathe. A year into the pandemic, they captured the joy and hope vaccines offered and the grief and despair as mostly unvaccinated Americans continued to die by the thousands each day. Here are some of the key moments during the pandemic:
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36 dead
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March 11, 2020
The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a global pandemic. In the U.S., weeks after health officials detect the first cases, 36 people have died from COVID-19.
6,610 dead
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April 2, 2020
One month after the first cases are detected, the virus spreads quickly. Most U.S. states now report widespread transmission and many have ordered residents to stay home.
54,940 dead
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April 26, 2020
Two months after the first cases are detected, over 50,000 people have died and new cases are rising nationally. Some states like Georgia reopen businesses that have been closed for a month as unemployment rises to levels not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
88,190 dead
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May 16, 2020
Three months after the first cases are detected, the country is facing a second wave. Up to one person a minute is dying of COVID as infections peak in the summer. The hardest hit areas in Texas and Arizona are running out of places to store bodies.
183,983 dead
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September 1, 2020
Six months into the pandemic, the country is still plagued by long lines for testing and a rise in cases adds to uncertainty ahead of an election to pick the next president.
245,579 dead
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November 16, 2020
Almost a year into the pandemic and a once unimaginable death toll has come to pass. The country is gripped by its third and deadliest COVID surge as the Delta variant sickens millions. The first vaccines are authorized, providing hope to a weary nation.
422,789 dead
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January 26, 2021
Over a year since the first cases, the elderly and essential workers lined up at mass vaccination sites as many maskless yearend gatherings pushed the death toll higher. At one point in January, more people died from COVID-19 every day on average than were killed in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
530,732 dead
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March 13, 2021
Thanks to vaccines, new cases fall throughout the spring and summer allowing many families and friends to reunite for the first time in 18 months. Broadway shows return to live performances and workers start coming back to offices.
702,140 dead
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October 5, 2021
While millions eagerly rolled up their sleeves for vaccines, some workers protested government or employer mandates to get vaccinated.
748,081 dead
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November 3, 2021
Nearly two years since the first cases, parents are overjoyed to hear that their children ages 5-11 can get vaccinated.
805,386 dead
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December 20, 2021
The new and more contagious Omicron variant taxes the nation's hospitals and healthcare workers as mostly unvaccinated Americans fall ill and die.
1,000,092 dead
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May 11, 2022
The U.S. surpasses 1 million COVID-19 deaths. COVID has become an entrenched part of daily life but all states and most businesses have lifted mask mandates. Many families still struggle with the grief and loss caused by the virus. Over 200,000 children have lost at least one parent to the virus.