An updated issue brief examines COVID-19’s effect on mortality rates, and finds that as of June 2021, COVID-19 has fallen to number seven 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 3,136 people dying daily. Amid widespread availability of vaccines, that number has fallen to an average of 300 daily deaths in June 2021.
As of June 30, 2021, about 66% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose; however, it appears likely that the Biden administration will fall short of its target to vaccinate 70% of adults in the U.S. by July 4.
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.