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Coronavirus Watch: Deaths may be 3 times higher than official toll, study says


Official tallies suggest the U.S. is approaching the unfathomable milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths.

But one team of researchers thinks the nation has already passed that point.

Researchers at the University of Washington looked at excess death estimates on a global scale and found an estimated 18.2 million people may have died by the end of 2021 due to the pandemic – more than three times the official toll, according to the peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet. Read more on the study from Paste BN health reporter Adrianna Rodriguez here.

It's Friday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 77% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 65% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck