Nearly 300,000 more people have died in the United States in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic than would be expected based on historical trends.
At least two-thirds of them are due to COVID-19, a government report released on Tuesday shows, adding that COVID deaths likely were undercounted.
The report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 299,028 more people died between January 26 and October 3 than the average numbers from past years would have indicated.
CDC said about 216,000 US deaths from the coronavirus had been reported by the middle of this month.
"This might underestimate the total impact of the pandemic on mortality," it said.
"There are many factors that could contribute to an increase in deaths indirectly due to the pandemic, with disruptions to health care being one factor," study author Lauren Rossen, from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, said.
The count could miss deaths indirectly related to the pandemic, caused by disruptions in healthcare access or utilisation, and from conditions like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and respiratory diseases, the report said.
But it also could reflect rises in non-COVID-19 related deaths.
The data show disproportionate increases among racial and ethnic groups that have been seen as particularly affected by COVID-19.
The CDC found the largest average percentage increase in deaths compared with previous years occurring among Hispanic people (53.6 per cent), with deaths 32.9 per cent above average among black people and 36.6 per cent above average for Asians.
A bout 220,000 coronavirus-related US deaths have been reported.
The CDC found excess deaths have occurred every week since March 2020 and reached their highest points in the weeks ended April 11 and August 8.
The largest percentage increase from all causes was among adults aged 25-44 at 26.5 per cent.
Australian Associated Press
