US COVID-19 death toll crosses its toll from World War I

The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the US now exceeds the number of American service members who died in World War I.

On Tuesday (June 16) the current pandemic mortality tally for the United States reached 116,526 according to Johns Hopkins University.

The number of Americans who died in World War I is 116,516.

Both these figures are not precise, due to a lack of testing during the pandemic and the challenges of counting the dead in the trenches of World War I a century ago. That said, 116,516 is the figure for WWI battlefield deaths that is widely accepted by historians and the Congressional Research Service.

The US is currently the worst-hit country in the world by COVID-19. Meanwhile, India has reported a total of 297,535 coronavirus infections, and is currently the fourth worst-affected country.

Related News: Nearly 2,600 US coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins tally