US Daily COVID Deaths Hit Number Not Seen in 14 Months

For the first time since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was first declared, US daily COVID deaths have dipped below 300 per day. The average number of deaths per day is now 293, per Johns Hopkins data cited by the AP. That average had peaked at more than 3,400 in January of this year. New cases are currently averaging 11,400 per day in the US, and 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated, about 45% of the country's population.

But the news isn't all good: While more than 53% of the US population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, demand is way down. And President Biden is struggling with his goal of sending 80 million vaccine doses abroad by the end of this month, the Guardian reports. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says regulatory challenges and other logistical hurdles have made that goal difficult to achieve. The AP reported Monday that fewer than 10 million doses have been shipped out so far in June. (More COVID-19 stories.)