COVID-19 deaths during omicron mirror delta wave

The nation’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is falling, but deaths continue to rise and now match levels seen during the delta wave, CDC data shows.

The nation’s seven-day death average was 1,936 as of Jan. 23, up from 1,208 deaths Jan. 1. During the delta surge, this figure peaked at 1,924 deaths Sept. 15.

While current COVID-19 deaths mirror levels seen during the delta surge, this average is still far lower than the record 3,422 recorded Jan. 13, 2021, before vaccines were widely available.

In total, COVID-19 has killed more than 868,000 Americans as of Jan. 25, according to data from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.